The Lost Descendants
by ForTheLoveOfLiterature01
Summary: What if Shisui fathered a child that no one knew about? His final request - for Itachi to protect her and her divine secret. Emiko grows up under Itachi's watch, and eventually finds herself in Konoha, following a mysterious prophecy and a young man about to make it come true. What role do they play in the world of shinobi? How is Naruto tied in to all of this? OCxOCNaruxHinaVERYAU
1. Prologue

**Okay, so this is my first attempt at writing fanfiction in a looong time. For the sake of the story, Itachi is eighteen when he slaughters the Uchiha clan, ten years older than Sasuke, and Shisui is twenty two when he dies. The story will mostly be non-canon, and will revolve around two OC, but still focusing on events in Konoha, and more specifically, Naruto and Hinata. A bit of an alternate universe, yet still having the components of Naruto's story. Enjoy! Please read and review! **

**Prologue**

"_You're my best friend and the only one I can count on... protect the village... and the Uchiha name"_

Itachi glanced at the bloody eye he held, then back at his best friend. Shisui, with both his eye sockets now hollow and tears of blood escaping in small rivers down his face, smiled despite this, knowing he was leaving the fate of his clan in good hands. If anyone could protect the Uchiha legacy, it would be Itachi. Still there was something troubling Shisui; one last thing he must make sure remained a secret and protected no matter what.

"Itachi, I have something else I want to tell you. Something else you must follow through until the end of your days. You must forgive me though, for I have kept this even a secret from you, who I consider to be my closest friend and brother," Shisui turned away from Itachi, facing the roaring Naka River and the steep cliff below. His face showed no signs of emotion, but Itachi knew better than that. The way he spoke, the calmness in his voice and his impassive expression, meant that this was more important than the situation with the clan. The wind blew fiercely around them, causing their cloaks to flutter around them like leaves in the wind.

Itachi waited silently.

"Although you are going to spare your brother, he will not be the only remaining member of the Uchiha besides you."

The wind howled around them, even stronger than before, like their ancestors were calling out to the two men in high-pitched screams. Shisui's words finally registered within Itachi.

"What do you mean?! You... you have a child?" Shock dripped from his words, and Shisui could imagine his surprised look all too clearly, regardless of his lack of vision. He grinned, glad to know that even in his last moments he was able to pull the wool over his comrade's eyes. He chuckled to himself.

"Ten kilometres north east from the sea, where Uzushiogakure, the Land of Whirlpools used to thrive, there is a miniscule village on the border of Yugakure and our land. In that village you will find a women with the longest, most beautiful golden hair, and the brightest, bluest eyes you would have ever seen, as though the sun resides within those eyes..."

Shisui gazed off in to the distance, looking towards the sky with his hollow eye sockets. His expression was no longer blank but deep sadness. He knew of Shisui's often visits to the north when he was not needed by the clan, but Shisui had always claimed they were for relaxation purposes only. His eyes widened at the thought of Shisui, fathering a son or daughter.

"You will know when you see her – she is very hard to miss. Akemi is an orphan, having lost her parents in war. S-she has no one else, Itachi. I have known Akemi for many years, and when I was old enough to understand women more, I found myself falling in love with her. I fathered a daughter to Akemi seven years ago. S-she is so beautiful in every way. I am sorry for not revealing this to you earlier, but Akemi has recently developed an incurable illness. M-my daughter, Emiko, please protect her. I will forever regret not being able to be there for her, and for my child. But you will, Itachi. Y-you must find Akemi, and protect her secret. Please, my _very final, personal request_ is for you to protect the two of them as much as you are able to. As my best friend, my brother; please be there for them where I was not able to."

"I will, brother."

Shisui's fists shook violently, and for a moment Itachi truly thought he was crying.

"_Tell them... to forgive me!"_

With a cry he filled his palms with chakra and placed them over his eyes, blasting chakra through his hollow sockets and right through his skull. He dropped to one knee, and with a smile on his face, knowing his legacy would be protected, tumbled over the rocky edge of the cliff, into the ferocious thrashing river, at least a hundred feet below. The river claimed his mangled body, and swept it off to no return.

Itachi stood rigidly, not moving a muscle as he watched all this happen. He glanced down at the eye of Shisui again and thought about how meaningless this was compared to the other half of what Shisui left for him. His hands shook as he retrieved a small jar filled halfway with clear fluid, and placed Shisui's eye gently in it. He gripped it tightly in his bloody hand, gazing at it as a single drop of rain descended from the heavens to land on the jar. He glanced up, just as the heavens opened and poured tears unto the earth.

"I will keep my word Shisui. I will protect your child!"

**Thoughts? **


	2. Chapter One

**Eight years later...**

"Are we there yet?!"

I trudged irritably along after Uncle, who walked at a slow but steady pace, towards our destination. There was no other sign of life on the long, narrow dirt path except for us and the rare rabbit that crossed our course. The sun beat down on the both of us, so hot, it made it seem as though the air was melting in to the ground. It was a cloudless day, and the blue sky stretched far past the canopy of trees that shaded us from the worst of the sun's heat.

"Please be patient, Emiko-sama. We would have reached our destination sooner if you hadn't been so late in waking up this morning." Uncle replied teasingly.

"Six thirty in the morning isn't late! You're the weird one! You wake up at ungodly hours of the day Uncle! Even papa would let me sleep until at least seven..." I sighed, pushing the painful memory of my father to the back of my mind. He had left us, abandoned us, just to save his clan and village, and then ended up dying for the cause, still loving his village. That love for your clan... love for your people, is something I will never understand with shinobi. Even Uncle holds these feelings dear. They just seem like silly ideals to me. Then again, I have never experienced love for any other person besides mother and father, and then eventually uncle. The feeling of belonging to a clan, of pride in your village and _"the will of fire"_, as he described it, was a foreign concept to me.

"We will reach the village in about an hour. Please, until then, can you just walk quietly?"

I hung my head, admitting defeat. Uncle was never any fun. I ventured ahead, slipping off my black hooded-cloak that Uncle insist I wear at all times. I was glad that I had worn light clothing – a white tank top with nothing much to be proud of and black nylon shorts that clung to my slender waist and embarrassingly full hips, along with my flat sandals, with thin leather straps that wrapped around my leg and tied in a bow behind my knees. My kunai holster hung at my right side, while my faded ox-leather pouch hung around my left side, packed with various ninja tools that uncle and father thought were essential for me. I reached up to my head and yanked on the white ribbon. It unravelled, and soft raven hair tumbled down my shoulders like waves, just past my breasts, no longer constricted. I ran my hands through my hair, trying to rid it of any knots it may have accumulated from being tied up all day. We were about half way to the mysterious village Uncle was taking me to. I was getting tired of waiting and bored, when an idea struck. It was the perfect time for me to show him my awesome new jutsu! Usually when training uncle wouldn't let me use my abilities to their full potential, and wanted to focus on taijutsu and genjutsu and everything else, except ninjutsu. He said it was too dangerous for me to utilize my abilities just yet and thus kept my mother's scrolls from me. I glanced ahead and spotted the perfect place. I rushed towards it, focusing my chakra on the sole of my feet to run up the trunk of the tree.

"Uncle! Uncle! Watch this!" I shouted to the figure below as I stood on the highest branch of a tall pine tree, about fifty metres above the ground, who stopped in his tracks and lifted his arm to shield his eyes from the sun as he stared up at me. Now that I had his attention, I made the seals for my new jutsu I had been working on with the help of one of mother's secret scrolls that I had... acquired. I thrust my hand in to the air, concentrating all of my chakra in to my fingertips.

Energy started to pool at the tips of my fingers, drawing away any light from the bright sky and making the air around me burn and radiate heat. My chakra drew in all the energy around me, focusing it at my fingertips to the point where it stung and felt as though my fingers were on fire. Of course it hurt – I was literally creating a mini-sun with my chakra. I knew the risks of this new jutsu, but I had to prove to my uncle that I could protect myself so he'd stop babying me and allow me access to the rest of her scrolls.

"STOP EMIKO! That jutsu will kill you!" He yelled, reacting to the power that was building around me, bathing me in unbearable light that would have blinded anybody else. But not me.

"_Heavenly Radiance!" _

With the energy now focused in to the shape of a thin blade, I pushed it outwards in the opposite direction to where uncle was standing. A burst of light, faster than the human eye was capable of seeing, and the stench of something burning filled the air. The feeling caused my hairs to stand on end, and I was blasted back by the sheer force of the explosion I caused. My body flew through the air and slammed against a tree. I felt my landing soften, and opened my hazy eyes to someone holding me upright on the ground. I had used too much of my energy absorbing chakra for my jutsu and now I was drained from using it once, how foolish of me. I didn't even have enough chakra to stay conscious. I could feel myself slipping away, further in to darkness.

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><p><em>There was a soft knock on the door. Knock, knock, knock. <em>

_My mother, glistening with sweat and in severe pain, still tried to get up to answer the door. I gently pushed her back down with my small hands, shaking my head at her. She smiled kindly, and then began a fit of coughs. I passed her an already blood-laden handkerchief and she coughed in to it gratefully. _

_I took out my kunai from my pouch, and slowly unlocked the door, keeping the latch attached just in case. Father had always told mother and I to keep the latch on at all times, that there were always people after him that could find out about mother and I at any moment. I peeped through the slightly ajar door, and saw a figure standing on the porch with his back to the door. _

"_What do you want?" _

_He turned around to face me and I caught sight of his face. He was a tall and lean pale man with the same raven hair as fathers and my own. He had two marks running down from his eyes and the sides of his nose. His eyes were pitch black._

"_I assume you are Emiko?" he started, giving me a look that could only be described as curious and perplexed. His voice was deep, firm but gentle. I looked him up and down once more, wondering who this strange man was and how he knew my name. Father had warned me of people who would come for me one day, but I hadn't knew it would come so soon. I activated my sharingan, fixing my eyes on the unfamiliar person. _

"_Who wants to know?! Choose you words carefully, and be warned! I can tell if you're lying and I will destroy you with a single glance!" _

_Instead of cowering in terror, he simply chuckled. What?! HE WAS LAUGHING AT ME? My anger rose and I waited for him to meet my eyes so I could end his fate, or at least make him think I did. _

"_You are your father's daughter," he simply said, still chuckling, as he finally lifted his gaze and met my eyes directly. I gasped, for this stranger had a sharingan just like mine and father's! It glowed brightly, the all-too familiar triple tomoe fending off my attempt at putting him in a genjutsu with my double tomoe. _

"_To even be able to use the sharingan to this level at the age of seven... and to almost put me under a genjutsu... Shisui, you have taught her well. I will take over from here." _

_My eyes widened at the mention of my father's name. What was he going on about? Who was he? Did he just compliment my doujutsu abilities? _

"_Emiko, please let the man inside," coughed my mother from her position on the mattress that I had set in the main room. I had moved her from the bedroom in to the kitchen so it was easier for her to get up and go to the bathroom, and also so I could be next to her all the time. I unlatched the door, my eyes flashing back to their original vivid sapphire colour. I opened the door, and the figure took a step inside our small hut. _

_My mother sat up, leaning more against the wall so she could look at our guest properly. She smiled, and a small trace of blood escaped from the corner of her mouth. _

"_Itachi... I have heard a lot about you. This must mean..." mother's voice trailed off, and she looked completely heart-broken. I went to her side as she hung her head, afraid that she was in pain, but as I knelt next to her I felt her whole body shaking, and sobs rocked her form. Tears dripped from her usually bright eyes on to her soft hands that trembled violently. I looked at the man in anger, demanding why he was here from him and my mother. Tears welled in my eyes, threatening to overflow. Finally, the man called Itachi spoke. _

"_I am sorry. It was for the good of his village. Shisui said to forgive him, please."_

**Any thoughts? So for this story I will create a new bloodline limit, and obviously a story about it's background. Although it is written in Emiko's POV, it will switch occasionally for the sake of the story. More will be revealed about Itachi, this bloodline limit and other plot twists veeeery soon. I have no life, so expect updates regularly. Reviews would be awesome, so let me know what you think! **


	3. Chapter Two

**Okay, so I recently received some negative feedback on this story. Firstly, one commented on the POV change. It will be most likely changing from either the main character(s) POV, and every now and then to 'god's eye'. The first chapter was written in god's eye because the main characters weren't present, so naturally I'd make the second chapter in Emiko's POV. Second, you might view my character as Mary Sue, or think that I've made an attempt to "put my own life into the story". I have done no such thing, nor do I plan on making my character out like she's perfect. She will have her strong points as well as her flaws. I do have a plan guys, I'm not just making this up as I go along... well, for most parts anyway. And, I have not labelled my story incorrectly by adding Hinata and Naruto to the main character slots – it just wouldn't let me have two OC as the main characters, and they are the closest to main characters that I plan on having. But if you read the summary, is only mentions Naruto once. Does that mean that I am "falsely advertising" my story just so I can get views? I could not care less about the views, and write for my own satisfaction and personal accomplishment. So yeah, a bit disappointed that 2 out of the 3 reviews I have received were negative feedback, but I'm glad that people are actually taking the time to read it! Give me a chance to prove to you that this story will actually have some depth to it.**

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><p>I sat on the porch of my room, staring out at the rain. It was unrelenting. It never showed any signs of seizing, or easing up. It fell in continuous, thick and heavy droplets like an everlasting storm of blood. The eternal grey clouds had always covered the sky – I'm not even sure I knew what colour the sky was supposed to be; orange? Pink? Green? Brown? Not like it mattered anyway, I wouldn't get the chance to see it if I continued to stay in this country that always cries. Amegakure. It was said it began to rain eternally during the third shinobi war, and never stopped since, because the country was always crying for its land that was ravaged by war.<p>

I sighed. I wished that I could even _dream _about a place far, far away from here, where trees grew in the warm rays of the sun, and the rain never lasted longer than a day or night. A place where war hadn't destroyed most of its landscape, transforming it into a barren, muddy and humid wasteland. A least in the desert you could experience the feeling of dry sand in between your toes, rather than soggy sludge. Where the lakes weren't overflowing with water and paths were actually accessible. If I could even _dream _of a place like that, _imagine _it and escape to it every now and then, I would feel as though I were living a tolerable life. But that was impossible because I had never been anywhere else but here, so I wouldn't have a clue what any of these happier sensations felt like.

"Kazuya-sama," a faint voice broke my revelry. Our youngest servant, a six year old girl named Chiyaki, stood behind me in the arch of the doorway, with her head bowed. She was my father's most recent souvenir from war, and the daughter of a feudal lord from Kumogakure. He had claimed the child at the age of five, and after half a year of incessant sobs and failed attempts at escape, she finally realised, like they all do eventually, that there was no hope of returning to their old home. She wore a simple white kimono, symbolizing her purity.

"Your father has summoned you."

I exhaled noisily. I gripped my katana in my left hand, while pushing myself up off my position on the porch. I followed the small girl through the screen doors, and she shut them behind us, to keep the humid air out and preserve the cool, stale atmosphere of our home. The little light that poured in through clear windows fixed in to our roof was still hazy and not very intense due to the thin layer of mildew that covered it, so our home was in a constant state of darkness. Even worse than that, with every room I passed down the dim, narrow hallway all I could hear were soft whimpering and sobs, accompanied by loud thuds and cruel chuckling echoing all throughout the hall. Every now and then a high-pitched shriek would sound through the house, but quickly followed by thunderous thumps and bangs. I grated my teeth, while Chiyaki covered her ears in fear at the sounds emitting from each room. We passed a young girl, probably only a year younger than me, leaning against the doorway to a recently occupied room. Her clothes were tattered, her seemingly youthful painted face streaked with tears. However that wasn't what made my fists clench, my blood boil to the point where I wanted to just annihilate whoever did this. Her cheeks were bruised; her lip had a gash that bled and dripped all over her dark grey kimono and her eye throbbed viciously. Not only that, but through the rips in her clothes I caught sight of several massive bruises covering her body and deep cuts that looked as though they had just missed vital organs. She whimpered violently, shaking and shivering in the doorway as she waited for a medical ninja to heal her, and for the torture to start all over again.

As we crossed into the next section of the property, Chiyaki uncovered her ears as soon as the sounds were behind us. I caught sight of a single tear running down her young face. I felt ashamed. We arrived to a screen door guarded by two men in heavy armour, the entrance barely lit by two single floor lanterns. They slid back the screen, and I stepped through, dismissing Chiyaki.

The room yielded no light at all, the windows and screen doors having been reinforced to purposely keep the light out. The rough carpet was a light beige colour, and the walls were painted with murals of cherry blossom trees in full bloom. It was pitch-black room, so none of these qualities that would separate it from a torture chamber were seen. My eyes that were so naturally adjusted to this darkness that I saw the figure at the end of the room straight away, sitting in his throne of gold while two women in chains cowered at his feet. I approached him directly, stopping only a few metres away from the frightened, snivelling women.

"Must you treat them like this?" I demanded of the figure, though I knew my attempt was futile.

A deep, menacing laugh echoed through the room. "Like what? These women must know their place in our world, Kazuya. They must know what it feels like to suffer as our ancestor suffered. They must learn to respect the darkness, to obey it." He replied curtly. "I have no time for your silly ideals today. I have called you hear because of an important matter. As you know, tomorrow is your sixteenth birthday. Tomorrow you will inherit the legacy that our great ancestors left behind specifically for you. If the prophecy is correct then you will be the end of our plight, the very final one. You will be the one to lead us into a new era."

I stared at the katana in my hands, churning the thought around in my head. I wasn't sure if I was ready for such a... big fate. Was it really what I truly wanted? I knew it was what I was born, what I was_ created_ for; I could feel it resonating deep within my bones. The undeniable urge, the flaming desire, the burning hatred... it was the reason I lived, I knew that much. Or did I? It had been programmed in to me since I was a mere baby, still crying out for a mother's embrace that would never come. Suddenly I was very doubtful of my ability to lead our clan to its destiny.

"I-I don't know father... I don't think I can do this. Can we not get someone else, maybe Takeshi, or-"

My father stomped his foot thunderously, causing the floor to vibrate. The women whimpered even louder. My head snapped up immediately, and I could feel the waves of hatred and pure darkness that rolled off my father and hit me with full force. I gasped as memories washed through my brain, images that were incomprehensive yet very familiar. A hazy image of a woman's smiling face, the colour of blood, the high-pitched screams coming from various rooms, and a dark emptiness consuming me. I yelled at my father to stop, but he continued to focus his black, piercing eyes on me to the point where I was the one moaning on the ground, begging for release from this cursed genjutsu. He shut his eyes, ending the spell. I struggled to my feet, not being able to find the right words to say to my spiteful father. My rage engulfed the room in a cold, nothingness. I tried to control it by reeling back in the feelings of hatred and malice, but my body trembled intensely, radiating rays of darkness and filling the air with a cold chill. My father laughed to himself, and the sound was like a slap in the face to a person having a hysterical fit for me, and brought me back to reality. I calmed myself down, slowly urging the darkness to return to its dwelling within my body. He snapped his fingers, and a flame appeared. Though small and not very bright, it filled the room with radiance and I gasped in horror. The walls were not painted with murals of cherry blossom trees in full bloom, but hanging in chains around the room were around twenty or so women. All were naked, bruised and bloodied. Some were to the point of starvation, nothing more than bones protruding out of flesh. Some looked as though their injuries were fresh. The areas where they were bound by chains – their necks, wrists, and ankles – were bleeding because the metal had cut deep in to their skin from the force of gravity pulling them towards the ground while the chains tried to keep them suspended there. Most were unconscious, save for the few who were breathing very shallowly.

"This is the fate of women. They may be the givers of life, but we still control their death. This is how it always was, since the beginning of mankind." He paused, reaching for one of the girl's faces. She stared up at him with frightful eyes, silently pleading with him to let her go. With a sharp twisting action, and a crack, father broke her neck, and then chuckled. I wished he would extinguish the light, to hide the mangled bodies around him.

"Your destiny is to lead us in to a new era of darkness, after generations and generations of bloodshed. You will finish this mission, whether you want to or not, and trust me, you will definitely want to."

I was at my limit and shouted, "what do you know about me?! You don't know if I will want to kill or not!"

My father looked up at me again, this time with an amused expression, an evil humour glinting in his soulless eyes. An insane grin crept on to his dark face.

"Tomorrow, on your sixteenth birthday, you will develop a blazing yearning that will set your blood on fire and give you the strength to complete your duty. This desire can only be satiated by one sensation."

"What?! What is this duty and destiny that I must complete?"

"To usher in a new era of darkness, we must extinguish any light that may create hope. To satisfy your incurable longing... you must kill the descendant of the light."

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><p><strong>Okaaaaay, chapter three is posted! I finally got around to establishing the initial plot, so everything from here should run smoothly. I have already began chapter four and am about a quarter of the way through, so expect an update tomorrow :) Please leave your thoughts in a review!<strong>


	4. Chapter Three

**I am getting quite frustrated with this story to be honest. It's clear to me that nobody ever really reads Author's notes. As I said in the beginning of the last chapter... **

_**I CAN'T CHANGE THE SLOTS SO THAT THEY HAVE TWO OC AS THEY MAIN CHARACTERS, DESPITE THE COUNTLESS TIMES I HAVE TRIED TO CHANGE IT FOR THE SAKE OF PEOPLE WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT ME "LABELLING IT INCORRECTLY". **_

**So to save those who will be reporting me for false advertisement, I have simply removed Hinata from the character slots, and just have an OC and Naruto in the slot. Such a pity though, because it will eventually follow Naruto and Hinata, beginning with this chapter. Also, may critiques who take the internet waaay too seriously please refrain from assuming they know everything that will happen? And while I understand that people come to Naruto fanfiction archives to read alternate versions of their favourite moments and characters from the world of Naruto, hell that's the whole reason I began writing this story, I am only trying to make my **_**own**_** story with my **_**own **_**character, while also focusing on the current event in Konoha and the rest of the shinobi world. **

**Maybe, just maybe, I could get at least one positive review? It would make me feel a whole lot better about writing this.**

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><p>I awoke to brilliant daylight filtering through my closed eyelids, warmth engulfing my face and body. My eyes fluttered open lazily, my vision still hazy but slowing adjusting to my surroundings. I tried to sit up but my body was completely numb and from the neck down, I couldn't feel anything. I panicked. <em>Where was I? How did I get here? Where was uncle?! Why wasn't my body responding? <em>

I exhaled calmly, composing myself. I thought about what I remembered last, frowning. All I could remember was uncle and I walking towards some unknown village, and him saying we were almost there. I remember... trying to show uncle my new jutsu that I hadn't used before but had been practising, and a burning, sort of dazzling sensation. Did I succeed? Or maybe we were attacked. Did they capture uncle? I knew he wouldn't go down so easily. I had never seen him lose a fight. Maybe he had been called for a very important Akatsuki mission by his superiors, and had to leave our trip immediately. I shook my head. If uncle were called in, he wouldn't have just left me in a random spot. I considered the actuality of enemies far stronger than uncle. It seemed like the most probable option – uncle was a wanted man. If he had been captured, it was up to me to save him, I thought determinedly.

In a situation like this, when an enemy had you under a genjutsu or had paralyzed your body, it was best to take in as much of your surroundings as possible, and gather information on your circumstances or whereabouts from that. I craned my head to get a better look around me. I was in a small box shaped room. Directly opposite me was a door that was slightly ajar. Behind me, I guessed from the slight breeze tickling my neck and the intensity of the heat, was a window. And I was lying... in a bed, about three feet off the ground. Now I was perplexed. _Why was I in a bed? What happened to my body?! _I glanced left, and saw a bedside table, adorned with a small glass vase that held a blooming sunflower, and an alarm clock. I glanced to my right, and saw another bedside table; this was with nothing but a single sheet of paper. I glanced at it, noticing Uncle's unmistakable handwriting. I sighed a sigh of relief. At least he was okay, and it was nothing like I had thought of. I stretched my head as far as I could to read the note.

_Emiko, I am just in the next room, so please do not panic. Your body may be unable to move when you wake up. Please call out to me when you finally wake up, and I will explain everything. _

So I wasn't under any kind of genjutsu or paralyzing technique. I was desperate to know what had happened to my body. I tried to gather the natural energy around me to convert to chakra so I would regain my strength back, but nothing happened. As much as I tried, my chakra points all over my body wouldn't gather any natural energy.

"Uncle Itachi! Please come quickly!" I screamed, as terror seeped into my body and brain, and various situations went through my head, all pictures of dread and worst scenarios. Uncle finally entered the room, and sat on the edge of my bed. He grabbed my hand.

"Can you feel this?" He asked, tightening his fist around my fingers. I knew I should be able to, but I couldn't. I shook my head. He dropped my hand and sighed.

"What is wrong with me, Uncle?" I pleaded, desperate for answers.

"To understand what has happened to your body you must understand your chakra producing abilities. To help explain this, I will use one of your mother's forbidden scrolls," uncle propped me up against the pillows, and reached into his rucksack and pulled out a white scroll, with intricate markings that I had never seen before. My eyes widened at the thought of uncle finally explaining a little about these powers. My mother never wanted to reveal any of it to me, not even on her deathbed when I begged and begged for her to let me use my power to help her. She said that until I could comprehend my abilities, I was not to use it for any reason. She smiled at me, saying that one day I will understand.

Uncle carefully unraveled the scroll, and spread it across the bed, kneeling on the floor next to me as he pointed at the first picture. It depicted the outline of a human being, hands frozen in seals. Within that person was a singular ball of white energy, glowing brightly. Around the person, energy was drawn in to the ball. Next to that was the shape of another person, in the same position. Within that person was a singular ball of energy, the distinction being that the ball was a mixture of two colour – red and blue, and energy was flowing outwards from the outline.

"This is you." He pointed at the first picture. "This is me, or a normal shinobi." He pointed at the second picture. I nodded, not sure what the big difference was.

"Most shinobi are able to mold chakra by combining spiritual energy, seen here in blue and physical energy, shown in red. Our chakra is produced by various organs in our body, which feed that chakra to our chakra coils, which are all interconnected by the chakra circulatory system. Once molded, chakra can be released, so it pours through one, or many of our 361 chakra points around our body. Some points are restricted, so one cannot release every possible amount of chakra in their body, which would cause them to die. However, these Eight Gates can be opened, and will remove any limitations on the amount of chakra released. Everybody has chakra, but to mold chakra, one must be able to utilize physical energy, which is derived from the body's cells, and spiritual energy, the energy of the soul – this is called chakra control. By mixing different ratios of these, chakra becomes more distinct, taking on a different colour or a newfound strength. These two aspects combined are called your total-stamina, and the maximum amount of chakra one can produce is called your chakra power-level. Do you understand this?"

I nodded hesitantly. We have had this discussion about chakra before. "So how am I any different? I can mould chakra using my physical and spiritual energy easily, and use natural energy so what does this have to do with me?"

He shook his head. "That's where you are wrong. You don't have chakra producing organs, or physical or spiritual energy, and your energy is anything but natural."

My expression was one of shock and disbelief as my brain gradually took this in. I didn't have chakra producing organs or any energy inside of me? So why was I able to use jutsu? I knew I had the energy, I could feel it radiating through my limbs.

"So how can I use chakra for genjutsu and... I'm sure I'm able to use ninjutsu too..."

"You have a different kind of energy within you. It is very similar to senjutsu, natural energy, except you do not need physical or spiritual energy to balance it. Instead of having organs that produce chakra, the force in your body," he pointed at the white ball inside the first figure, "naturally creates chakra from the invisible energy around you – the sky, the earth, from feelings of those around you – from the energy of _everything,_ you are able to draw chakra in to your cells, and release them into your chakra circulatory system, and eventually through the chakra points. It is very basic, because there is no need for molding chakra, as it is stored in every cell in your body. You may not be aware of it, but at every single instance of your life, you are gaining chakra – it is flowing through your body, filling it to the brim with chakra, before releasing the pent up invisible energy through your chakra points so it doesn't corrode your body with the pure energy. Because of your lineage, you were not born with any restrictions on your chakra points, or the Eight Gates that I referred to earlier, because your chakra needs to constantly be released either naturally or through using jutsu. With genjutsu and taijutsu, you are only releasing a minimum amount of chakra, compared to when using ninjutsu and your sharingan. With ninjutsu, there are five basic elements – wind, fire, earth, water and lightning – that your chakra will react to and essentially, use in techniques. Ninja can have an affinity for one, two, or more elements. Your chakra however, is very, very complex for reasons unknown to me. I do know this – your chakra, when you purposely build up that energy at a certain point in your body, draws in not only natural energy but pure light energy. I saw it when you used that forbidden jutsu. It becomes unstable and when you release it, you are not only releasing it from that point where you purposely built up your chakra, but releasing it from every single point in your body. Because you don't have the restrictions of the Eight Gates, the energy is too much and it overflows your chakra points, damaging them to the point where they have closed. Because of this, you are not able to release chakra constantly and it has built up in your body, causing paralysis. That is why your mother did not want me to teach you any of the forbidden jutsu of her clan; because she knew that releasing so much energy from your fragile body would damage it like this. That is why it is very dangerous, and why you must learn to control your natural energy."

I sat in silence for a minute as my brain tried to make sense of my situation. Finally, with a shaky voice, I spoke.

"Does this mean I will be paralysed forever?" I uttered my worst fear. Not being able to move, being half a vegetable for the rest of my life would be a fate worse than death. Uncle Itachi smiled at me, brightening my hopes, before crushing them.

"Perhaps. But coincidentally, we are in the village of one of the most talented medical ninja that has ever lived, I believe. She will definitely be able to help you, don't worry Emiko!"

Uncle beamed at me, voice full of enthusiasm and optimism. His hope gave me hope; I trusted his words, as I trusted him with my life. But that didn't mean I was exactly happy about being a temporary cripple.

"So, who is this woman? What shitty little village are we in now?" I asked irritably, impatient to get this along with, so I could return to my normal, responsive self.

"She is known by many names – the Slug Princess, the sucker, but most refer to her as the Fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade." My eyes just about popped out of my head. Uncle chuckled, amused by my reaction.

"S-so we're in..." I trailed off. I had dreamed this day would come, but I had hoped it would come under better circumstances. If it weren't for the fact that I was paralysed, I probably would have demanded that we go sight-seeing immediately.

"That's right. We are in mine, and your father's birthplace. The 'shitty' village, known as Konoha, the Hidden Leaf Village."

* * *

><p><strong>Thoughts? Is it too difficult to understand, or does it make sense to anyone? I know it's different to what is natural, but it has it's reasons. For the next chapter, I'm not sure who's POV I want to start with. Should I continue with Emiko's, or Kazuya's? Orrrrrr I could just begin with either Naruto, or Hinata's POV. Reviews would be nice :)<strong>


	5. Chapter Four

Before the break of dawn, I had already packed my knapsack with various ninja tools, clothing and a small supply of provisions for the journey. I now sat on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. Because my room was so far to the north of the house, where we kept the forbidden scrolls of our clan, and only the head of the clan, my father, and my brothers were allowed, it was completely void of any life. Nobody ever came to this side of the house, which was why I chose to have my room here – and also because I wouldn't have to sleep through the sound of women being abused and raped by other clan members and special clientele my father kept. Just thinking about it gave me shivers and made my blood boil.

It was my sixteenth birthday, and apparently my destiny was supposed to become clear to me. I didn't exactly feel any different, except for this strange tug in my gut. It compelled me to pack faster, rushing me along so we could leave sooner. Did I just refer to a feeling as though it were an entity? I wasn't quite sure why, but I followed it. But now, as it urged my body to leave this wet, weeping country and begin my journey, I resisted. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to complete my duty, or even if I could. I didn't want to kill someone to bring an eternal darkness. I didn't even like the dark, for one, I actually hated this power within me. It caused me to do terrible things when I wasn't in control of my emotions and hurt the people that were dear to me. I could feel it, even now, eating away at my body, cell by cell, trying to consume every little bit of my humanity until I was nothing but a lifeless, emotionless, killing machine. I held my hands in front of my face and noticed they were trembling. I clenched my fists, closing my eyes and inhaling and exhaling deeply.

After five minutes of this, to calm my nerves, I stood and picked up my brown hooded-cloak, holding it in one hand as I stood in front of the mirror. I wore black khakis tucked in to my shin length black open toed boots, a fitting grey singlet and a loose black shirt over that. My messy red hair, a mortifying trait I picked up from my mother, was naturally spiky, jutting out in every direction, though slightly falling in my eyes. My white eyes, devoid of any features, stood out against my olive-toned skin. The Byakugan – a bloodline limit that was thought to have only belonged to the Hyuga clan of Konoha. In the Hyuga clan they regarded it with so much respect, even going so far to have a Main family and a Branch family, branding the latter with curse marks so they could never betray the Main family and forcing them to know they're place. Every single member can use the Byakugan, I have heard. In my clan, however, those rare members who possess the Byakugan are banished and exiled, as it is seen as a symbol of the light. I never knew why it was so wrong to possess such powerful eyes. However my father, when I was born with these eyes, knew immediately that they were a blessing for me. He said they would help me bring about my fate. I had no clue what he meant, but now I think I have a sound understanding. My father never kept the dark secrets of the clans origins from me, in fact he made me study the ancient scrolls that were passed down from generation to generation. I just didn't realise that one day I'd be making those barely readable babblings come true.

I sighed, already frustrated with what the day would bring. Father said I was to follow my gut feeling, and that would take me to where I needed to go, but I didn't understand how a stupid intuition could do that. With what felt like daylight approaching and darkness fading, I slipped on my cloak and retrieved my knapsack and katana from the corner, slinging the bag over one shoulder and sliding the sword in to the holster at my side. Before I left I turned to see if I had forgotten anything and a glint on my dresser confirmed my suspicions. I picked up the tattered black forehead protector with the symbol of my mother's clan on it and tenderly placed inside my knapsack. I slid open my screen door, and slipped outside on to the porch. The rain trickled down gently, which I did not appreciate due to the fact that the air was humid and stuffy, and the heavy rain would have nullified that sense. My brother and father were already waiting for me on the east porch in the desolate courtyard, by the gates that protected and hid our compound from prying eyes.

My older brother, Takeshi, who was in line to be the next head of clan, nodded at my father when I approached. My brother was as equally menacing as my father, if not more. He was a cruel, merciless brute with a strong network of informers, most of them mercenaries and just plain evil people who wished for the world's demise as fiercely as my clan did, and was allied with many organizations trying to achieve this, such as the group Akatsuki and some other people who held power over dark techniques. He was always knew about, if not involved in, any attempts to destroy the world. I'm sure that if I wasn't able to complete my mission, my older brother would find another way to bring about his future. Takeshi grinned at me as though he could read my thoughts, a glint of insanity and bloodlust in his eyes.

"Ah, Kazuya, you are finally joining us. I hope you have packed sufficiently for your trip." My father said, arms crossed in front of him. It was uncommon for my father to leave his torture chamber for any reason, but I guess this destiny meant more to my father than I thought. I nodded feebly. Takeshi's presence unnerved me. His sadistic and gory past weren't foreign to me. Ridiculous things like having the same blood running through our veins, or having the same father, meant nothing to Takeshi. I was sure that if I didn't hold such an important role in his future, he would have killed me years ago. He told me so himself. He thinks of me as weak, and resents the fact that I was the one born with this destiny, not him. He doesn't think I can carry out this mission, and in truth, neither do I.

"From here on out, you will be on your own. All of these years of training have all been for this instant. Do not forget your duty, or stray from your path. Though I am quite sure the cursed hatred of your ancestors will lead you in the right direction. Now, go."

Without so much as a "Happy Birthday" even, I thought inwardly. I stepped down the steps, on to the soggy path that led to the gates. As I approached them, they creaked open. Beyond the gates was nothing but muddy rock paths and jagged hills, the slowest and most dangerous route out of our hidden community. To the left, was a deep chasm, a rough cut in the land like lightning had struck it repeatedly, that twisted and split into two directions. The chasm was filled with water, from years and years of endless tears falling from the heavens. If one were to follow one of the directions of the river, it would lead down to the main village, guarded by Pein and a Guardian Angel, also members of the Akatsuki, as I have heard my brother speak of them with the utmost admiration. The other direction, would lead me east towards the border of the Kusagakure, and from there I would be able to pass through the Village Hidden in the Grass and east into the Fire Country or north into Takigakure. I glanced back at my father and brother, unmoving, just watching me. I had no clue where to go from here. How was I to kill this person if I didn't even know where to begin? He could be all the way in the village of the Hidden Cloud for all I knew! I dreaded the trip, suddenly wanting to turn around and walk back through those gates. But I knew that wasn't an option. One, my father would probably imprison, or knowing Takeshi, kill me if I were to abandon this mission. And two, I was desperate to see more of the world, since I have never left this compound all my sixteen years of living. I wanted to know what the sky looked like, and feel the warmth of the sun on my face. I closed my eyes, and listened to my gut feeling. I felt a tugging sensation, like someone trying to drag me along, I just had to move my feet. I felt my foot take a step, splashing in a puddle, then another one, and another, and another, until I was heading in the direction of the ravine. For some reason, the tug was faintly getting stronger with every step I took, and soon I was following the river east towards Kusagakure. My journey had begun.

As soon as Kazuya was out of sight, following his destiny, the elder man turned to his oldest son. "Takeshi, I want you to follow him discreetly. Do not make your presence known, try to stay far enough behind him that he can't detect you with that disgraceful Byakugan of his, but close enough that you can interfere when needed. Make sure he carries out his duty at all cost."

The beastly man growled, humoured at his father's lack of faith and perpetual predictability. "Do you not trust that he can follow through with it? Even without those eyes, he holds immense power..."

"That may be true, but he lacks hatred now and follows that stupid path of peace. He was perfect as a child, full of so much loathing. Now he is weak, just like his mother. He can never kill anyone, but then again, they do say the curse has never failed to corrupt its host. He is the only one who can do it – extinguish the light decisively, so it is not able to return, so darkness can rule. If it were that easy we would have ended it years ago. Although, if he needs motivation... you know what to do."

The son chuckled at his father's evil ways as he melted in to the shadows, the sound still echoing eerily in the courtyard long after he had disappeared.

* * *

><p>Tsunade heard a hasty knock on her door, and before she could answer, Shizune burst through the door. Her face was flushed red, and she was inhaling sharply, as though she had just run here. Tsunade didn't think much of it – Shizune was always overreacting – and continued filing through her pile of mission reports.<p>

"Tsunade-sama! Please come quickly!" she huffed, trying to regain her breath. Tsunade merely glanced over at here, making no attempt at moving.

"Hmmm? What is it, Shizune? You _demanded _I do these reports, and now that I'm finally doing them you barge in_ demanding_ that I accompany you somewhere! Jeez Shizune, can the Hokage not get a break?!" Tsunade thumped her fist on the desk lightly, yet still causing a split in the wood. She sighed. "What is of such importance that it cannot wait until I am done?"

"A girl was found this morning in front of the hospital, in a wheelchair, completely paralysed from the neck down." Shizune started, wishing that the Hokage would be less carefree about dire situations. This raised Tsunade's curiousity, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Well, have you administered an antidote? I'm sure you are able to handle a simple anti-paralysis antidote, Shizune."

"We did immediately, but posion wasn't the cause. Or genjutsu. After running an examination, we found all of her chakra points are fried, the cause is unknown. She was found unconscious, and hasn't recovered yet. But that's not what is strange about her..." Shizune's voice became shaky, and she wasn't sure how to explain the next part. Tsunade, now listening intently, urged her to continue.

"It's her chakra, Lady Tsunade. Or rather, our chakra. We find ourselves losing chakra around her, and some are unable to conduct a full examination on her chakra because they have become weak very recently. And, after getting a member of the Hyuga clan in to use their Byakugan, they... they..."

Tsunade, growing impatient, thumped her fist once more, this time splitting the desk in half. "Spit it out, Shizune!" the Slug Princess ordered.

"They said that her body is overflowing with chakra, and for some reason it keeps on gaining chakra at an alarming rate. Her organs are beginning to fail and we have no solution at all. Please Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade leapt up and jumped out through her window, responding to Shizune's urgency with swift speed. She leapt over building, running on rooftops, until she reached Konoha's hospital. When she reached the administration, she didn't even pause, grabbing herself a surgery gown, and heading straight for ICU. She found the room almost immediately, due to the large amount of people standing outside of the door. Some nurses were holding up other exhausted nurses and leading them out of the room so they could sit on the chairs outside. When the crowd caught sight of the Hokage, they all cried out in relief, exclaiming that it was alright; Lady Tsunade's medical ninjutsu would save this nameless girl. Tsunade ordered for everyone who did not have enough chakra to continue to leave the room. She saw Hinata Hyuga, a skilled Byakugan user standing in the corner, unsure of what to do. In the centre of the room, lying propped up on a bed, with tubes running out of her nose and needles protruding out of her arms, was a girl. She was about average height and weight, although very wide, child-bearing hips, with raven hair that fell down in waves around her breasts, and pale skin. Her eyelashes were her most prominent feature; long and straight. She had delicate features and a slight hint of red to her cheeks. She had been stripped of her normal attire and now a white gown adorned her young body. Tsunade touched her arm, and was alarmed at how blistering hot her skin was, like fire burned under her skin, seeking a way out but finding none. But that wasn't what alarmed her the most. It was the fact that Tsunade could feel the pull of the girl's energy, like gravity, attracting her chakra, and gradually taking it as its own. Tsunade simply stared at the girl in amazement, before removing her hand as it was beginning to sear her flesh.

Hinata stood in her corner, twiddling with her thumbs, while she stared at the girl. It was strange, but she felt like she had seen the girl's face before – like her features were familiar. The girl appeared to only be about Hinata's age, maybe a little bit older from the look of her mature hips. Hinata feared for the stranger. When she activated her Byakugan it almost burned her eyes just looking at the girl. Her chakra was not normal at all. For one, it glowed brightly, like the sun resided within her body, all over, and pushed out from the centre of her body. Even stranger than that she could not sense any physical or spiritual energy. Just... pure energy. It pushed at her chakra points with such a force that, if not dealt with soon, would make her explode from the inside. Two, when she used her Byakugan to look at her organs on a microscopic level, she found that none of her chakra coils wove around her organs. That, in itself was completely abnormal. The last thing was that as she watched with her Byakugan, she could literally _see _chakra seeping up from the ground, filtering in through the open window, even see the chakra being sucked out of her own body and the bodies of those in the room, all gather around the girl's body, before her already overflowing body would slowly take it in. It scared her, to be quite honest. The girl didn't scare her, but what was happening to her did; the girl's body heat was on fire because she was in so much excruciating pain. This is what she revealed to Lady Tsunade when she asked Hinata to use her Byakugan to take note of the internal effects. Lady Tsunade stared at the girl in disbelief, a thousand questions running through her mind about the possibilities of this.

The machine next to the girl beeped slowly, indicating she was still alive, but for however much longer no one knew. Suddenly, the machine beeped faster and the girl's eyes fluttered open, scanning the room around her with quick, blue eyes. The girl's eyes settled on Hinata, widening when they saw her. She began to furiously cough, blood splattering all over her white gown.

Lady Tsunade went to her side, and spoke softly, softer than Hinata had ever heard her talk before. "Hello, my name is Tsunade. I am here to help you. Can you tell us your name?"

The girl stared up at Tsunade in what seemed like recognition, a trickle of blood coming from both corners of her mouth. Tsunade smiled – if the girl knew of her reputation, then she would be calm about the situation.

"Y-you... m-my chakra points... t-they are..." she started softly, her voice weak and barely audible. As she spoke, Tsunade watched in horror as blood began to steadily seep out of the corners of her eyes and nose. Although she had already gotten over her phobia, seeing this happen to this young girl made Tsunade feel terrified.

"We know, and we're doing the best we can to figure out why. Do you know anything about your situation?" Tsunade was sure to not touch her, but remained close because she could only just pick up what the girl was saying.

"I have to... to constantly release chakra. I-I need someone to... unblock m-my chakra points." She whispered, struggling to even make coherent sentences. Tsunade nodded. So this girl was just a body of what felt like pressurised chakra, if she didn't release her chakra soon... Tsunade could bet on what would happen, and even with all her bad luck she wouldn't lose. Then again, even if she did release it now, the strain alone could kill her, not to mention the possibility of her losing _all _of her chakra in the process, with death being the definite consequence. Or if it did work, maybe it would completely destroy her chakra points, resulting in the same situation all over again.

"We can't unblock your chakra points because they've been damaged too much. If we try to unblock them now, it may make all of your chakra pour out, and to lose all of your chakra will kill you."

"I-I think I-I can heal them... please... please just unblock my chakra points" the girl then let out a scream, as her pulse began to race and her heartbeat became erratic. Everyone around her began to go in to a frenzy, not knowing how to stop this girl's pain, or even what was wrong with her. Hinata's eyes widened as she witnesses the girl's chakra begin to take on an even more freakish glow than before.

"Lady Tsunade, what do we do?!" everyone seemed to beg, looking towards their Hokage for guidance. She was completely lost, and hung her head in shame. To try and fix her chakra points now would be useless and would only prolong the girl's death, is what she told everyone. Hinata's eyes became teary as everyone in the room became silent; the only sound in the room was the sound of the nameless girl's screams as they intensified. Hinata clenched her fists, desperate to do something, _anything_, to help the girl. She thought about what the girl said; _"I have to constantly release chakra. I need someone to unblock my chakra points." _

It was a risk, and could have huge consequences on the girl's body, but Hinata had to do something. She stepped forwards, urging her body closer to the girl's. Everyone in the room had given up, and accepted the girl's fate. But not Hinata. She activated her Byakugan, and began to filter chakra in to her palms, employing the Gentle Fist style. She had never done it with the opponent lying down, but she made tried her hardest. The familiar taijitu symbol, that only Hinata could see, appeared, and she started her attack on the girl's chakra points.

"Gentle Fist 8 Trigrams 32 Palms!"

"8 Trigrams 2 palms!" Hinata hit various chakra points with her chakra-infused hands. Everyone in the room turned towards Hinata and the girl in the centre.

"4 palms!"

"8 palms!"

"16 palms!"

"32 palms!"

With the last hit, Hinata forced open the damaged chakra points all at once. With her Byakugan still activated, she saw the chakra thrust its way to the surface with a frightening energy, and before she or anybody could react, there was a flash of brilliant radiance, and the energy burst outwards like an explosion, blinding and burning those closest to the girl, including Hinata. It was enough to blast everything in the room away, including the four walls and the floor and ceiling. Shattered glass and rubble covered everywhere. The ceiling began to cave in the small room, and the floor had split open, creating fissures in the dirt beneath it. It was a miracle that they were on the first level, or whoever was underneath them would have been crushed, and she could only hope the rooms surrounding the blast were unoccupied. Tsunade, having shielded herself, Hinata, Shizune and a few others from the worst of it, held up the ceiling with her mighty strength long enough until some members of ANBU used earth style to relieve her. Tsunade brushed the dust off her and gazed around the room in alarm and admiration. The air felt static, and made every hair on her body stand on its end. She pushed debris out of the way and made her way closer to where the girl was. Such chakra... it was unnatural. The list of questions for the girl was piling up in her mind with every step she took towards the bed. A part of the ceiling covered it, and perhaps the girl had been crushed, Tsunade thought, if that sudden explosion wasn't enough to kill her. She lifted the rubble and pushed it away, then gasped; blinking furiously to make sure what she was seeing was real. The bed was completely empty, and even more suspicious than that, looked fine for most part. The legs had been blown off, but the base and the thin mattress were both still in near pristine condition, just scorched around the edges. Tsunade glanced around, searching for any signs of the girl's body or at least, what remained of it, but found none.

"Fifth Hokage?" someone cleared their throat behind her. It was Kakashi, the copy-ninja, who had just arrived at the scene with Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno in tow. They stared at the disaster around them, completely at loss of words. Naruto caught glimpse of Hinata half-buried in wreckage, and rushed to her side. He hauled Hinata out of the mess and Sakura began to work on her injuries right away. Hinata, apparently still conscious despite probably taking most of the force, pushed away Sakura's hand, kindly telling her to attend to Shizune-sama first, and struggled to get to her feet. Her clothing was tattered and singed, and any exposed skin, particularly on her face, neck and hands had been burned to the point where even wincing made Hinata's entire body shudder with agonizing pain. She would have collapsed to her feet if Naruto hadn't been supporting her body with the utmost care.

"Hinata you must rest, your body has taken a lot of damage and you suffer from severe burns." Sakura said to the heiress. Hinata, eyes still burning from the blinding flash of light, tried to focus her vision on the Hokage, who was still in disbelief about what had just happened.

"Lady Tsunade?" Hinata uttered, using the last of her strength.

"Please Hinata, don't speak. You're only hurting yourself. Don't worry, we will find whoever did this to you and Shizune and I'll smash them to pieces! You just leave it up to me!" Naruto exclaimed with his famous enthusiasm. Hinata smiled and blushed – his face was so close to hers. Close enough that she could feel his breath on her burnt cheek. It was refreshingly cool.

"No, Naruto. This was not caused by any enemies. The cause of this was a strange girl, only about fifteen or sixteen years old." Tsunade shook her head in astonishment, touching the painful burns on her cheeks. The blast had the power of a hundred explosive tags, and even Tsunade wasn't able to combat all of the force. Naruto stared at the wreckage around him, at the severity of Hinata's burns and even at Granny Tsunade's raw skin on her cheeks in surprise. _A girl about the same age as his had done this? _It was unbelievable. Apparently Kakashi thought the same, from the visibly stunned expression on his usually carefree, covered face.

"We... we must find her, Hokage-sama. If we're suffering from this extent of burns, who knows what that girl could be suffering from!" Hinata coughed, a trail of blood escaping from the corner of her mouth. She was quickly losing consciousness.

"Hinata! Hinata! Please stay with us!" Naruto shouted, trying to shake her back to consciousness. Hinata gazed up at Naruto's sparkling blue eyes, thinking about how wonderfully gorgeous they were up close. She could see herself in his reflection, bloody and battered, and wondered if this was how Naruto saw her too. If so, she was absolutely mortified. She could feel her consciousness slipping away now; being drained from her body as though someone had pulled the plug on her tub full of life. But before she faded away into the unknown, she needed to make sure of something.

"P-Please Naruto... please find this girl and make sure she is alright." She breathed heavily, watching Naruto's lips move because all she could hear was a ringing in her ears. She thought about how blissful it would be to kiss those lips, and smiled, not even knowing his answer, but content any way. She was sure she knew the answer anyway, knowing him...

"I will, I promise." Naruto whispered. For some reason, just seeing her so damaged and hurt made him angry, and although he wanted to find whoever did this and make them pay, he also wanted to make Hinata happy. He vowed he would find this girl and confront her, after he had made sure she was safe. He lifted her up, cradling her in his arms, and carried her over to where Sakura was healing Shizune.

"Tsunade-sama, where did the girl go? You said she was here just a moment ago." Kakashi asked and raising an eyebrow as there was no obvious figure of a young girl in the rubble except for Hinata. He doubted that anyone, except their Hokage of course, could withstand a blast like that and just walk away afterwards. He had heard the explosion on the other side of town.

"To tell you the truth, I have no clue. She didn't have a name, or would tell us one anyway. She could barely speak, so I guess that's why. But she was found this morning in a wheelchair outside the hospital, nobody accompanying her, paralysed from the neck down. They called Hinata, I assume because of the fact that Neji is on a mission, and Hiashi obviously won't come to the aid of a stranger, especially when he hears that this certain stranger is slowly draining the chakra of the people around her for too long. But of course Hinata would, because that's just Hinata." Tsunade grinned – she honestly thought the girl was weak, but hitting all of the girl's chakra points like that and opening them all at once? It was amazing to watch the Hyuga Heiress. Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi thought that perhaps the Fifth Hokage was going crazy, grinning in a time like this.

"Hinata told me that the girl was very, very abnormal. No chakra coils around the organs, and she sensed no physical or spiritual energy necessary to mould chakra. She explained it like... a sun. A glowing energy that absorbed the energy of everything around it, like absorbing natural energy and having it as a life force. Even I could feel it sucking up my chakra. The reason she was paralysed was because all of her 361 chakra points had been damaged severely, and because she had not been treated earlier," Tsunade scolded herself mentally; she would blame herself entirely if the girl had died. "To try and heal them, while she's draining me of my chakra, would be dangerous for both of us. I imagine she must have been in unbearable pain, but she told us that she needed someone to open her chakra points. I don't have that ability, but even if I did, it would have risks on both parties. Especially with that amount of pent up chakra... Well, Hinata took this risk and managed to open all of the chakra points, and..." Tsunade waved to the scene before them. Nurses rushed in, helping ANBU to retrieve casualties and put them on stretchers to be carried to their own examination room. The walls were on the verge of collapsing, but from the steady sound of moaning coming from those being recovered, nobody was fatally injured. She was glad, but the disappearance of the raven haired girl completely mystified her, and again, she was lost for words or actions.

"Then where is she now, Granny?! We need to find her!" Naruto clenched his fists at Tsunade, and she could see that flair of determination once again. But she didn't even know where to begin.

"I don't know Naruto. Every single thing about this is just bizarre. Maybe some things are better left in the dark..." Tsunade trailed off, thinking about how the girl _stole _her chakra so easily. And that bright sun that Hinata referred to... Tsunade might consult the ancient scrolls for answers. Naruto was about to say something daring, and Sakura would be there to gladly smack him in the head when he did, when Tsunade spoke, this time her voice full of optimism.

"I do know this – it's not the last we've seen of her."

Tsunade, for the second time in one day, bet on her words, bet on that girl surprising her. And she was sure she would win. Maybe her luck was changing.

* * *

><p><strong>I loved writing this chapter. And it's so long :D I think I might just write longer chapters, so expect less frequent updates. Unlessss, someone begs me to update faster, then I might actually be motivated to. Reviews? <strong>


	6. Chapter Five

**The Day Before...**

"It's been about two and a half years..."

"Indeed."

I walked through the massive gates with my master. But as soon as I stepped through them, my steps hastened, until I was running. I dropped my knapsack on the ground, thudding loudly, and leapt in to the air, feet landing firmly on a tank about twenty metres above. It gave me a perfect view of the whole of Konoha, from the gates all the way to the rocky cliff with our Hokage's faces carved in to it.

"Alright!" I exclaimed, stretching my arms out like I was trying to embrace my village. In my time away with Pervy Sage I had grown quite a bit. I felt different – not just taller, but stronger, not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well. I was determined more than ever to bring Sasuke back. This wasn't the only change though – while away I had completely destroyed my trademark orange and blue outfit, to the point where it wasn't even clothing, just ripped material. I had swapped this for a new orange and black track suit, one that was more form fitting and didn't get so hot. Even though I had changed a lot, my village didn't look like it had at all, and I was glad for that.

"I missed this place! It hasn't changed one bit!"

But even as I said this I noticed the new addition to the cliff side. It was a more feminine face that the rest and had a recognizable diamond shaped crest on the faces forehead.

"Eh?! So they've added Tsunade's ugly old mug to mountain! Ha!" I laughed, but on the inside I was beginning to dream about when I would finally have my face carved eternally in stone. Hokage was still a long way away, and I had to focus on more pressing matters, like dragging Sasuke's sorry ass home.

"You've grown a lot, haven't you Naruto." A deep, familiar voice said from behind me. I turned around, and saw Kakashi-Sensei sitting on a roof. He still looked the same as always; silvery hair sticking up everywhere, face covered except for his right eye, and wearing typical shinobi attire. He had his Icha Icha book in one hand and looked as though he were in the middle of reading it. Yup, nothing had changed at all.

"Yo!" he stuck his hand up in a sort of salute.

"Kakashi-sensei! You haven't changed at all!" I greeted him with much enthusiasm, but it was weird to have him tell me that I've grown a lot, even if I knew it myself. I jumped and landed next to him. I suddenly remembered something.

"Wait! Oh yeah! Hey! Hey! I have a present for you Kakashi-sensei!" I reached in to my pouch, and saw my sensei look at me curiously. I pulled out a book, and his eyes widened.

"Whaaat?! You... H-How... Th... This is..."

"This is the latest in the Icha Icha series after three years. It's really boring but you'll still like it, I think!" I grinned at my sensei, and he took the book and turned it over in his hands slowly, then grinned at me.

"Thanks Naruto!"

"No problem!" I leapt off the side of the building, sensei close behind me. Now that I was finally back in Konoha, it was time for the ultimate homecoming gift!

"Right! Next stop, straight to Ichiraku ramen!" I took off, leaving Jiraiya and Kakashi in the dust behind me, as I ran in the direction of the ramen shop. I stopped suddenly, seeing two figures in front of me. One belonged to an older woman with two blonde pony tails hanging down her back, while the other was a smaller, slimmer frame with a head of short, pink hair. The girl turned around, staring at me curiously.

"Sa... Sakura-chan?" I said, surprised at seeing her already. She tipped her head to one side, taking in my outfit, and then my face, recognition hitting her.

"Eh? Naruto?" She pointed at me, voice full of scepticism. She gave me a strange look that I didn't understand. "How do I look? Do I look more like a woman now?"

She seemed taller. She had begun to fill out around her hips, and a little around her chest, I noticed before quickly averting my eyes. I respected Sakura-chan way too much to look at her like _that_. She had changed, I could tell, but not all that much physically. I gave her my famous, flashy grin.

"You look fine! You haven't changed at all!" I heard Kakashi sigh when I said this and Sakura's cute pout turned in to a flaming scorn for a second. Then she glanced up at me, a look of shock on her face.

"You've... You've gotten taller than me?!" Disbelief coated her tone. I glanced at my body then at her, raising my hand to compare our heights. I was a few inches taller than her.

"Oh yeah, I guess I have!" I beamed; maybe Sakura-chan would acknowledge my feelings for her and go on a proper date with me. But I knew this would never happen – she was too caught up in her own feelings for Sasuke.

"Naruto niichan!"A nasally voice called out to me. I followed the source of the sound, and found a naked, dark-haired woman posing very scandalously, wisps of smoke covering the most private areas. Pervy Sages eyes almost popped out of his skull. With a poof, the jutsu disappeared.

Konohamaru stood in front of me and a very disappointed Jiraiya, holding his thumb up enthusiastically. "How was that? A real drool of a jutsu, wasn't it?!"

I sniggered, shaking my head at how much he had grown. "Konohamaru, I'm sorry but I'm not a kid anymore. From now on, you shouldn't use that jutsu either." My tone was serious, and from the look on Konohamaru's face, he was taken aback by my words. Everyone was silent around me for a moment.

"Such jutsu is now mediocre, Konohamaru! Behold! The new perverted ninjutsu I've been developing! Here we go!" I was about to show off my new ninjutsu, when Sakura-chan screamed that I was an idiot and before I could react, I was being hurled to the ground. In a daze, she grabbed me by my collar and shook me.

"I was wrong! You haven't changed one bit! I haven't seen you for two years and within two minutes you jump straight into that?! What about that wonderful feeling of respect I had for you just now?! As if I could feel sad that I wasn't grown up like you!"

I was still dazed and confused by all this, but grinned anyway. I was home.

"Hey, hey, Sakura, calm down. Konohamaru here's terrified." Kakashi said, revealing the cowering boy behind him.

"Right... the nostalgia ends here though. Kakashi." Lady Tsunade turned to our sensei. Sakura stopped throttling me, and we both turned to gawk at the copy-ninja.

"From now on, the two of you will come with me on team-related missions. It's different than before. It's no longer teacher and pupil. Starting today, we're equal Konoha shinobi," he held out his hand, turning it over to us, and we caught sight of the all-too familiar bells. "Well, first I'm a bit curious as to how you've developed. The rules are the same as when I first met you two. If you don't come at me with the intent to kill, you will never succeed in getting the bells!"

We grinned at our former teacher. I was keen to show off my progress, and because I wasn't able to get a bell the first time, I was even more determined than ever. Konohamaru ran off yelling that he was going to let everyone know that the hero of our village had returned. Pervy Sage and Granny Tsunade waved us goodbye, saying they had important business to discuss, and headed in the direction of her office. Kakashi began to make his way to the training ground, us in tow.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a cloaked figure standing in the shadows of the trees. I turned my head to focus on the curious figure, but it had disappeared. I glanced around; sure that someone had just been standing there a second ago.

"Naruto! Hurry up!" Sakura-chan called out to me. I scratched my head, still feeling as though I were being watched, but shrugged it off as nothing and ran after Kakashi and Sakura-chan.

* * *

><p><strong>Present<strong>

A cool, damp feeling on my forehead caused me to stir awake. My head throbbed painfully, and my entire body felt as though it were on fire. But at least I could feel pain – that was a good sign. My eyes felt like someone had held them over a pit of boiling lava, but regardless I willed them open. My vision was clouded, but I could just faintly see someone standing over me. My eyes adjusted to the dark room, and Uncle Itachi was leaning over me, dampening my forehead with a wet cloth. I couldn't remember how I had gotten there, or who had brought me to this unidentifiable place. The last thing I remembered was a bright, dazzling light and a burning sensation, like a hundred suns had exploded all over my skin. I could recall a girl with pale eyes, slight hints of lavender glinting off them, and a blonde, top-heavy woman talking to me and asking me questions. Her name was Tsunade. The raven-haired girl named Hinata was hitting me with her palms, but I felt no pain. After that it was just a blur.

I opened my mouth to speak but Uncle shook his head, wiping the gleam of constant sweat from my forehead.

"Don't speak just yet please Emiko. You were badly burnt all over your body, I managed to deflect most of the damage, but you still need to give yourself time to heal."

This room was different to where we had stayed before. There was no natural light filtering in the room, and the only source of light was from a small, flickering candle in the corner of the room. It smelt musty, like it hadn't been used in years. A dresser stood in the corner, a mirror hung above it. On the dressers were various items; a comb, a kunai holster, a blue forehead protector with the same symbol that the girl named Hinata wore engraved on it, the material old and torn, and a few photo frames. The first was a picture of a very young boy and what I assumed was his father. The next was the same boy, about ten years older, standing with another boy who looked a few years younger than the older boy. Their arms were slung together over their shoulders and they beamed at the camera. The next was of the same boy, but this time he looked as though he were about my age, standing close next to a woman with beautiful golden hair who looked very tired but smiled anyway, holding a slightly bloody infant who he stared at with utmost adoration. I gasped quietly, realizing that the boy in the photos was my father, and the last photo was him and my mother at my birth. Itachi glanced in the direction I was gazing at, and seeing the pictures, he smiled at me, his face morphing into that of the young boy with my father. I realized the boy in the second frame was him and my father.

I sat up a little, and reached for the glass of water on the bedside table. Uncle placed the cloth back in a bowl full of water on the bedside table. The sleeve of his cloak rid up, and I caught sight of burns covering his arms and hands. I reached out and gripped his hand gently when he tried to pull his sleeves down more. I felt horrible. Uncle had rescued me from the blast, but had suffered from what looked like major burns, at my expense. Not only that, but this whole situation was my fault. If I hadn't been so reckless and disobeyed uncle by stealing that jutsu, I wouldn't have done this to my body and we would be on our way to wherever uncle had intended for us to go.

"Please... please uncle, l-let me heal you." My voice was shaky as I gripped his sleeve tighter. He placed his hand on top of mine, clutching it loosely. I stared up at my uncle. His pale face gave away the fact that he was tired and exhausted, and his bloodshot eyes looked as though he hadn't slept in days, which he probably hadn't. Although he wasn't related to my father by blood, he still reminded me a lot of him. He had raised me from the day my mother died, and guarded me with his life when people came looking for my deceased mother and I. The only family I had left, the only person in this world who I could trust and rely on, the only person who actually _knew_ of my existence, was standing before me. If he were to... because of me... I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I would be all alone in a world where I knew no one.

A single tear slid down my cheek, before falling on to uncle's hand. His gaze softened and he squeezed my hand softly, before nodding at me and sitting in the chair next to my bed. I placed my other hand on top of his. I smiled faintly and closed my eyes, breathing slowly. Inhale, exhale. Concentrating on the pull of the energy was a simple task, like blinking, because it was all I knew, all I felt for as long as I can remember. I understood what uncle had meant when he told me about the true nature of my body. It was like... I had this gravity inside my gut, and now I knew it was because energy was naturally drawn to me, as a moth is drawn to light. By siphoning the energy around me, I was able to filter it through his chakra points. I focused all of my chakra into the palm of my right hand, the hand that was on top of uncle's cold one. I released natural energy back into uncle Itachi's form, giving more chakra to his organs, and replenishing his health slowly. It was a steady process but necessary for the body to heal completely, cell by cell. If this was all I could do to repay uncle for the countless times he protected me and took care of me then I would do it all a thousand times more and still be smiling. He even aligned with the Akatsuki to protect me from them – so they would never know about the daughter of the great Shisui Uchiha, and whatever Kekkei tōta mother's lineage possessed. It tired me greatly, but it was worth it. Just to see my uncle survive, and not leave my side, was all I could wish for. My hands trembled gently. The room was completely silent, and I suspected it was probably night time by now.

"Uncle, will you tell me a story? It would help me stay alert and pass the time. Your burns are serious, and will probably take a while to heal."

Uncle smiled at me. He hadn't known my mother for long, but my favourite stories were the ones that mother told about her and father and their adventures together, and uncle had heard them many times before she died and knew them as well as I did.

"Well, let's start with the one about the boy with the special eyes, the golden girl and destiny..."

I smiled – this was my most favourite, and saddest story.

"_One day, there was a boy who was sent to deliver an important letter from the Hokage to the Raikage in the Land of Lightning. It was a treaty declaring a truce, due to the unimaginable number of shinobi lost during the third great shinobi war. This boy was only twelve years old, yet he was already taking part in S and B-rank missions, and graduated top of his year at the Academy. He was a skilled user of the sharingan, and not one to be underestimated. Anyone who had the pleasure of witnessing him at work knew this. While on his travels, he happened to stop by a river to refill his canteen. He heard a lot of commotion going on around the corner, and being the curious boy he was, he peeped around the corner to see what was causing all the noise. What he saw was horrible. It was a family and their travelling home – a big, spacious hut on wheels. It was decorated brightly – painted a vivid yellow and covered in banners and glittering crystals. He silently moved closer, hiding behind trees to get a better view. They were all clustered on the ground, huddled together closely. A woman, her older son who appeared to be a good few years older than the boy, and a young girl about the same age as him, who all looked upon what was unfolding in front of them helplessly. They all wore long white robes, with a pale yellow sun on the back. Another small huddle of about four men were shouting aggressively, crowded in a circle around a thrashing figure. They were kicking and beating the form on the ground, and when they dispersed he saw it was a man around the same age as that boy's father. The young boy was completely enraged with anger, but contained himself – a good shinobi was one who endures, is what he told himself, though how difficult, he must be patient and not compromise his location. Although he couldn't see their faces as they were covered by plain black masks, the menacing look in the eyes of the four shinobi – he had seen that look many times. They intended to kill the family. For what purpose, was unknown to him in that instance. He inched even closer, until he was just beside the campsite. The family were right in front of him, and the other group were on the far side. The man's flowing white robes were stained with blood, and he writhed in pain on the ground, before shakily getting to his feet. The man began to make the seals for a jutsu, but was swiftly interrupted with a blow to the stomach by one of the bandits, and dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach. He called out to his family, who looked up with teary eyes, saying that everything would be alright. The man met the boy's eyes and he shook his head when the hidden ninja tried to advance, nevertheless smiled brightly. One, who appeared to be the leader, stepped closer behind the kneeling man, and yanked something from his hip pouch. It was a kunai. Before anybody could react, he stood directly behind the father and slashed across his neck in one sharp motion. His wife and daughter screamed at him to stop, but it was too late. The son, shaking with rage, charged at the men, tugging at something concealed within his robes. He withdrew a long katana, and bravely slashed at the men surrounding his father, causing them to disperse. One of the men engaged in a sword fight with the boy, who was quite adept in his swordsmanship, and very quick on his feet. He slashed and swerved and countered every strike, but the hidden boy knew that he would not be able to keep up the rouse for much longer. He would have to intervene now, before it was too late. _

_He activated his special eye, and seeing the temporary distraction as a good diversion, seized his opportunity. He rushed out of the bushes at the nearest bandit, who was approaching the sobbing, broken family. With great speed the boy leapt over the golden heads of the older woman and her near identical daughter, and then sliced at the advancing killer before the crook could fully grasp the situation. He quickly fell to his knees. The young girl glanced at their saviour with a newfound hope, and upon finding child, lost that hope instantly. She did not know who this boy was, but taking on a small band of felons was not possible for him, considering their skill and his lack of... brawn. But the boy did not stop with the one bandit. The other two who had seen his surprise attack began advancing towards the family from different directions, assuming that he would not be able to counter both of them. They threw a hail of kunai from opposite directions, aimed at the vulnerable woman and daughter. The young boy's hands moved at an incomprehensible speed, and it was like he completely vanished. For the daughter, the life-threatening situation caused time to move slowly for her, as though the entire world had stopped spinning at its usual rate and was only gradually relaying present events millisecond by millisecond. Typical of the young boy to flee, she thought, and she didn't blame him. Nobody would help a family of strangers if it meant they're life. Nobody was that selfless, or that stupid. The girl's bright blue eyes widened as the kunai floated through the air, inching closer and closer. She closed her eyes, ready to meet her end. She was only eleven, but would gladly die to protect her family's secrets, which was what the men were after. She heard a sound like lightning striking metal a hundred times all at once. She opened her eyes and found she was still alive, and could feel no pain whatsoever. Time had gained its proper bearings. The volley of kunai had been deflected, and the boy stood in his exact spot he was in a moment ago, kunai in hand and crouched low, head down. The two shinobi stared at the boy in amazement, and the boy looked up with his remarkable eyes so the two could get a glimpse of their demise. Seeing the sharingan, they gasped, and the boy smirked, shifting his weigh to his right leg. The girl blinked and the boy disappeared from sight in a puff of smoke. The two men glanced around, a terrified look on their masked faces. The girl shook her head in disbelief – how could he vanish without a trace? And then she saw him. The boy poked the tip of his kunai in to the base of the bandit's skull, holding his two kunai on an angle so they could reach the back of the men's neck. The girl gazed at him in awe, and in her mind took back all the doubt she had held for him._

_At that moment she heard a piercing cry of pain, and saw her brother fall to the ground, a kunai sticking from his chest. She screamed his name over and over again, and her mother had to restrain her from running to his unmoving body. The young boy, also having seen this, swiftly used the butt of his kunai to hit a pressure point on each of their necks, causing them to collapse to the ground, unconscious for the moment, but alive. The shinobi who had killed the older boy simply laughed cruelly, and kicked the motionless boy. The leader who had killed the father strolled over to his partner. The saviour remained close to the woman and her daughter, protecting them and shielding them from whatever would come next. He waited. _

_Without warning, the leader hastily made hand seals for a jutsu. He smacked his palm on the earth, and suddenly razor-sharp spikes stuck out from the ground like tombstones anticipating death. The boy, expecting his elemental attack, quickly took hold of the woman and her daughter's robes, and yanked them to safety, a tall tree that obscured them from view. He left them there with specific instructions – stay put so he could finish this quickly. He rushed out to engage the two shinobi in combat, but they were gone. He glanced around with his sharingan, but found no one. Suddenly, a shattering scream echoed through the air. The boy's form flickered and he was suddenly where he had left the two. The shinobi were standing over a body, and the screams were coming from the girl who kneeled next to her bleeding mother. The boy cursed himself for leaving them alone. The evil men hadn't noticed his presence yet and one had his hand raised, yielding a kunai, ready to strike the hysterical girl. In two rapid movements, they fell to the ground; they're body still twitching from the electric current he had applied to the bloody blade just seconds before he ended their life. It was a quick and near painless death, much more than they ever deserved. The small girl shook with sobs; her whole body trembled with fear of what would have happened if the boy had appeared a second later, and anger that he hadn't been there sooner to save the life of her mother. The boy went to the girl and gently lifted her into his arms. He completely blamed himself for what had happened to her family. If he had only been stronger, if he had only been there sooner, he would have been able to save everyone. He vowed right then and there, while cradling her shivering body against his that he would do whatever it took to save her, to keep her safe. Even if it meant giving up his life for her, he would gladly do so. He figured that whatever this girl and her family possessed was very important, and most likely very powerful. He didn't know why he felt so bizarrely compelled to keep this unspoken promise. Maybe it was because of her circumstances, but he felt it was much more than that. He felt like it was destiny in the making. He wanted to take her away from the horrific scene, and she insisted that he do so. They stopped by her home and she revealed to him the secret compartment in their home that they would have died protecting. Inside was a medium-sized chest, secured by a combination lock. She shoved the chest in a large knapsack, along with some keepsake items. They heard a cackle behind them, and abruptly they were seized in a stone room with smooth walls. Because there was no difference in their masks, he had stupidly assumed that the two who had killed the girl's mother were the leader and his closest partner, but it wasn't. The other two shinobi were just a decoy, to get the young pair to drop their guard and expose the location of what they had been pursuing. That's why they hadn't killed the girl instantly – she was the only person now who knew how to access the wooden box of secrets. The devious men licked their lips in impatience. Now was the time to act. _

_The leader made his jutsu seals and the pen began to tighten, the walls and ceiling coming together to become one again, and they wouldn't stop for the likes of two helpless children. Then the walls suddenly exploded with a bright flash. The boy stood with the girl behind him, his hand glowing with electrical energy. The boy stepped forward, just as another wall shot up from the ground and divided him from the girl he sought to guard with his life, stretching around and over his head, further than he could see. It was a giant, thick, rock enclosure around the girl. The partner created seals quickly before the boy had time to react; he had deactivated his sharingan, meaning he probably ran out of chakra with that last defence. He finally showing his ninjutsu – the ground beneath the boy turned to sludge around him and he was swallowed up by the water-injected dirt that would suck away his chakra if he tried any jutsu. It would be impossible for a mere child, even a formidable enemy who proves the greatness of the Uchiha clan, but still a mere child, to escape from this situation. They grinned menacingly – they had fallen right into their trap. By separating the two they could easily incapacitated this threat, snatch up the girl and leave the boy wondering endlessly what had befallen the unfortunate. The girl on the other side of the thick wall was afraid. She didn't want to be apart from the boy whose name she had hadn't even learnt yet. Her mother had died believing that her only daughter, last surviving member of their legacy, would live on and be protected by a boy with special eyes. This is what was predicted, what was foretold for the future. It was unbearable for her, but she also had to think about the treasures she gripped tightly in her left hand. The girl stepped back from the wall and placed her knapsack on the ground by her feet, hidden within her robes. She made the seals for the one jutsu she knew – a very dangerous ninjutsu not to be underestimated, yet took great toll on the user. Her clan's unimaginable kinjutsu was what had led it to its destruction. Not from other clans, or other nations were they to discover the power of their sacred jutsu, but because no others knew except one clan. And that clan craved their extermination. It was always men that wore black masks and black attire, as though they were shadows. One by one, her clan had been picked off, like fleas that were an annoyance to the coat of their very existence. They were merciless, and that was apparent. She had to do all she could to protect her treasures – and more importantly – the boy who needed her right now, as much as she needed him. She held her hand out to the sky as she used the energy absorbing jutsu that would draw out any light and focus it at her fingertips. When it formed a flaming, blinding ball she focused it to the shape of a narrow blade and pushed it outwards, in the direction of the wall that separated her from destiny. The jutsu blistered her fingers and blinded her eyes and the sheer force of the impact was enough to blast her and the treasures through the air, but surprisingly enough the rest of her body hadn't been badly scorched as much as her fingers. She prayed with all her heart that she hadn't hurt the nameless hope. But it was the complete opposite. She had created a massive fissure in the vast wall, and slowly but surely, it began to crumble; pieces of the divider falling like oversized, gravel snowflakes as if it were winter. _

_The boy, who had been struggling against darkness, trying to find a grip on anything but never reaching one, who had held his breath but couldn't stop the sludge from entering his nose and every other place in his body and weighing him down even further to the bottom, if there even were an end to this unfathomable dread, felt the mud above him heat rapidly, then solidify. This was good, believe it or not; if something is frozen, then it can be shattered. The clay around him was hardened but still soft enough for him to move his arms to a point where he could control his movement, and he pushed his self, swimming upwards against the toughened mud. When he felt the hard rock, he pulled back his hand and applied chakra to it quickly, before the sludge could suck away his chakra, and thrust his curled fist out, hitting the tough clay with his chakra-concentrated hand with a deafening thump, causing a slight tremor around him. Upon impact, the mud above him cracked and was crushed in to smooth powder, making it effortless for him to claw his way up through the sea of soil. As he tunnelled his way up the soil caved in on him, pushing him down and forcing him back into the dark abyss. He fought against it viciously, all the time wondering what had caused the ground to harden to distract him from his waning consciousness. He finally resurfaced and gasped for air, taking in as much as he could to refill his sparse lungs. He shook the dirt from his hair and rubbed his eyes, then let his vision adjust to his surroundings. He was shocked at the state of the area. Small fissures and crevices engraved the land around him, but where, he assumed, he had just been standing, was a long split in the earth, like someone had sliced it with a giant blade. It was obviously the place of impact; he could tell by the debris scattered away from it. He looked around, searching for the girl, or any sign of existence. He saw the two men – they were unmoving, blood escaping from their nose, a telltale sign of serious internal injury. If they were the ones affected by it, then the girl... He heard whimpering coming from behind him. He turned and found the girl among the rubble, one hand clutching her knapsack weakly. He flashed to her side, and then tenderly scooped her up in his arms. She whined softly because of the pain it caused, but when she opened her eyes and met the boys sparkling eyes, she could have almost cried out in joy. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. He smiled, glad that she was safe and almost unharmed. _

"_I am going to protect you from now on, okay? Or at least until you're old enough to look after yourself. I'm sorry about your family." He said the last part slowly and quietly, not wanting to upset her. He waited for her reply, and was amazed at the silky, tinkling melody that protruded from her lips when she spoke. _

"_I-It's okay. My family sacrificed their lives to protect our secrets. They did so with pride and honour," the girl's eyes became teary as he carried her away from the damage, and low sobs escaped from her mouth against her will. It was hard. She had known this day would come – it was prophesized – but she hadn't expected it so soon. To lose everything in the space of a few hours... it would be inhuman if she just shrugged it off as nothing, or pretended like she couldn't care less, when really her entire world seemed as though it were crumbling around her. Her only hope, the only person she could trust now, she glanced at the boy through her hazy bright eyes, was this boy. She thought of his family and what they would be like._

"_It was actually predicted that my family would die and I would be the only survivor, and that a boy with special eyes would save me. I guess that's you. Would your family be alright with this?" she was anxious for the future. A million questions begged to be asked. _

_The boy smiled, a little curious about what she had just said. He had felt like it was fate, and apparently, it was. "That won't be a problem. I don't have a family. My mother died giving birth to me, and my father was killed in action." _

_She was silent – so he was alone. Just like she was now - with no one to love her and watch her grow up. But rather, he had been on his own much longer than she, from the casual way it rolled off his tongue; like a statement, a matter of fact, not an emotionally scarring time in his short life on this world. _

"_My name is Akemi Hikari." _

"_Nice to meet you, Akemi. My name is Shisui Uchiha."_

_Both grinned at each other. It was their first formal introduction, but they felt like they were already friends. With every step towards the unknown, they were distancing themselves physically and mentally from the horrific events that had transpired on that bizarre, fateful day._

* * *

><p>The sun had already set over the horizon on my second day back in Konoha when I left Hinata's side, unwillingly, but the nurses, and even Sakura-chan, insisted that she was fine and wouldn't be waking up until the morning. Her father had come by after the explosion, along with many countless citizens and curious shinobi like Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei, but I'm sure they were just on a date and wanted to make it look like they hadn't stumbled upon the scene by accident. Her father scowled at me when he saw his unconscious daughter in my arms, carrying her to the examination room for a busy Sakura-chan. Actually, his eyes more or less popped out of his skull. And then he accused me of causing the explosion and hurting his daughter. I clenched my fists as rage swelled in my chest and ground my teeth to counter it. I gripped my stomach, my fingers digging into the skin beneath my sweatshirt. Something rumbled beneath my hand, like the beast was stirring. I know I have the Kyuubi sealed inside of me, but that didn't mean that he had to treat me like I was nothing but a monster! The villagers... not all of them had acknowledged me yet. I would change that, and everyone would see me as Naruto Uzumaki, not that-kid-with-the-demon-fox. But first, before I could accomplish my dreams of becoming Hokage, I had to bring back Sasuke. Only then, would I even be close to achieving my goal. I grinned, reverting back to my normal self.<p>

The night was warm, so warm that I felt the need to remove my jacket. I pulled at the crystal necklace out from under my black shirt. It was weird, but ever since I had arrived at the explosion, just as Sakura-chan and I finished the bell training with Kakashi-sensei, I had felt this weird feeling in my stomach. Like the Nine Tails wouldn't stop moving, like he was anxious about something. Or maybe the seal was weakening. I didn't want to know what would happen if that were the case. I thought about what had happened today. It was crazy, really. I didn't fully understand what the girl was, or what her power was, but it made me feel uneasy. It had hurt kind and gently Hinata, who wanted nothing more than to help the girl. It sounded as though she couldn't control it... that was familiar and I could relate to that. I was determined to keep my promise to Hinata to find this nameless girl. I don't know what had come over me in the hospital, when I saw Hinata hurt again. It was like the preliminaries all over again. Wow, I hadn't thought of that day for months now – while I was training the only day I remembered perfectly, just like it was yesterday, was the day Sasuke left. Not when he left with the four Sound shinobi, but when we truly fought. It was permanently branded into my mind – him telling me I didn't understand, me confessing my bond, and him letting me live. I pushed the memory aside before I had nightmares about it that night, and focused on the day of the preliminaries. To be honest, she kind of inspired me to win. I wanted to beat Neji for her, to prove that we can change our fate, and I did. But hearing about his circumstances outraged me; I couldn't imagine Hinata doing that to her cousin or anyone. I would keep my word to him. Just another promise on my steadily rising list of things to do. I groaned. I really loved making promises, and I intended to keep every single one, but at this rate I wasn't going to be Hokage for a long time. That was fine though – I never went back on my word. I would get Sasuke back, save the branch family, _and _find this mysterious girl. It wasn't going to be easy, but there were no shortcuts to becoming Hokage. I grimaced when I thought of the last – I had no clue where to begin. She had up and vanished without a trace, not even the ninja dogs could track a scent. Well, it wasn't that they couldn't find a scent, it's just it was _everywhere _and it completely puzzled the dogs to the point where Kakashi just called them off. Just from the look of Granny Tsunade, one of the legendary Sennin, all torn up and burnt, I could tell it was a powerful explosion. I frowned. Maybe she even had a power that could match mine.

As if the beast could hear me, it moved again, more forcefully. And then I heard a low chuckle in my head, and realised the Kyuubi was laughing.

_You have no idea, boy. She will find you, don't you worry about that. _

I froze mid-step. The Kyuubi then returned to the pit he had temporarily risen out of to whisper in my mind, his dark chuckle fading to an echo. Okay, now I was even more confused. I wasn't sure if I had heard right, or if I was going crazy. I think I would rather the latter.

I felt it again for the second time since returning home. I turned on my heels, tugging out a kunai from my pouch. The fenced off walkway was utterly void of any sign of life, and the moon made the tall fences cast long shadows. There was no one in sight. I relaxed. I was being totally paranoid, not very ninja of me at all.

"_Caw-caw!" _

I leapt into the air at the sudden outburst of noise close to my ear. I glanced up to my left and saw a crow standing on the fence next to me, staring at me with its black beady eyes.

I exhaled sharply, muttering, "Stupid fucking crow."

The bird was unmoving, and just continued to stare at me as I walked past. As soon as I was out of the alleyway, I ran home, still feeling as though someone were watching me.

**Thoughts? Sorry for the long wait, but you're welcome for the extra long chapter ;) Reviews would be appreciated, but honestly I can't wait to write the next chapter so expect it a little sooner than this one. **


	7. Chapter Six

It had been two days since I had left that dreary compound. Two days since my feet stepped out of that dreary country that never stopped crying. The journey through Kusagakure had taken much longer than I had expected, and I was completely exhausted and in need of a hot meal that hadn't burnt over a campfire. I had spent both nights sleeping in the shadows of tall, strange trees with giant mushrooms protruding like branches from the trunk. They provided a surprisingly good shelter from the light showers. Despite the cold and the hard floor – oh and how could I forget the giant venomous spiders – I actually really enjoyed the trip. It was all so new to me since I had never left the compound, let alone cross the border to another country. I discovered that the colour of the sky was blue, and clouds could in fact be white instead of grey. The heavens after twilight had passed were probably the highlight of it all. The first night I camped out just over the border of the nameless country, in an empty, grassy field, and stared up at the cloudless sky with its thousands of twinkling stars and constellations that I had read of, but never seen with my own eyes. It hadn't taken me as long as I expected to cross the border, probably because I just couldn't wait to leave my weeping village, but I did take at least half a day longer than planned in the village hidden in the grass. Quite frankly, I was just so caught up in the colours. You never see any colour in Amegakure; it was never anything more than a monotonous wasteland away from the main village, and even then it's sparse. The variety of hues; blues, greens, reds, browns, even yellows, were just so astonishing. Colours I had only imagined in my wildest daydreaming were in full-bloom every single day. I didn't even know where I was most of the time. Not like I needed to know – the tug dragged me along; all I had to do was lift my feet. But as I walked further and further towards my apparent 'destiny', I felt this strange sensation. It was building up with every step I took, and made me feel as though my blood was boiling. I couldn't figure it out, but besides the scenery I was so absorbed in, I kept on thinking of hateful things that I would do to this person once I met him. It was startling, but I would actually find myself trembling with rage at the smallest things. For instance, I had been gathering edible berries for a snack on my first night, and left them in a small pile on a leaf by my bag pack to collect water from the stream. When I returned, a small rabbit was nibbling on the last one. Seeing all my hard work gone to waste, something snapped inside me, and all I remember after that is waking up on the ground some hours later in a burnt, dead place where all the trees, flowers and grass had been incinerated, colours gone. I was utterly terrified. It was beginning again – the blackouts, I mean. I used to get them a lot as a child; I would get into fits of rage and then wake up shortly, sometimes surrounded by debris or under a fallen ceiling, even covered in the blood of others. I thought I had learnt to keep my power in check and not let it rule me, but now the feeling was intensifying, struggling to break its way through my barrier and envelop me in constant nothingness.

It was all I could think about after that. Actually that wasn't true. I thought of my last night at the compound and it would even further my anger. Seeing the room that my awful father resided in caused me to have nightmares of the current slaves on the walls of that pitch black dungeon, clothed of course because I couldn't picture them any other way, little Chiyaki dying in front of my eyes, wrapped in chains and looking as though she had been virtually beaten to death. The very worst, the most unbearable and terrorizing part of these nightmares haunted me even when my eyes were open. I would be in the dark room, surrounded by moaning and whimpering feminine voices, and then from the far side of the room, a low chuckle would resonate throughout the room. I would yell and scream at the laughing figure to stop, to let the innocent go, but they would only respond by snapping their fingers, creating a small flame just like my father did that night. The person sitting in my father's golden throne had this slightly insane look in his featureless eyes, and his grin was sadistically cruel, like that of a psychopathic murderer. The person was me; a deranged, vindictive version of myself. It was a good thing I hid in secluded areas, because I woke up screaming both nights and sweating feverishly. I would shake my head, trying to rid the images from my mind, but it would just cause me to feel rage and hatred. The scene in that room was eternally imprinted into my mind, and the pure evil that radiated from it made me shiver. My father had covered their chakra and life force from my Byakugan with his dark genjutsu. He was definitely worthy of his title.

After one too many restless nights I found myself in a small town in the Land of Fire called Tanzaku. It was infamous for its women and gambling opportunities, but those were of no attraction to me. I went to the first shop I saw, a small tea shop with long chairs with white tablecloths outside under the oriental style awning. It had a sign displaying dumplings and other hot food. My mouth watered, and I set my bag down at a table in the corner, pulling my hood off and shaking out my messy red hair. A girl a few years younger than me came up, giggling and blushing frantically. I ignored her stuttering attempt at conversation and ordered two plates of dumplings with some hot tea. A woman who sat at the table opposite me had been staring since I entered the tea shop, and it made me slightly uncomfortable. She was probably a year or two older than I, blonde and slim, and she wore the symbol of a Sand shinobi on her forehead protector. On her back she carried what appeared to be folded fans. I pretended to not notice and as soon as my food arrived, I dug in, completely forgetting her scrutinizing gaze.

"_Temari-san_!" A female voice called out loudly, apparently addressing her, as she glanced up at the mention of her name. I watched as a pink haired girl, a blonde boy wearing an orange tracksuit, both about the same age as me, and an older man with naturally silver hair and wearing typical shinobi attire, rushed into the tea shop, straight up to the woman. She was obviously surprised to see them but greeted them with a wave of her dumpling stick. They were not so carefree, and looked at each other warily. They turned their backs to me, crowding in a tight circle around the Sand ninja. I ignored them and continued with my meal. It was delicious, even more so because I hadn't eaten anything but nasty canned soup for a few days. I picked up my cup and was just about to take a big gulp when I froze, cup in midair as images flashed through my head of a woman's face. I stared at the backs of the boy in orange and the flak jacket of the older man, my mind spinning. That symbol... the red swirl. Snippets of memories lost to me resurfaced – a woman wearing a long white robe, with that symbol on the back. But the robe was soaked in blood, and someone was screaming in the background. It was a hazy vision, as though I were underwater and drowning in the screams around me.

The sound of shattering glass brought me back to reality. I glanced up and saw that my cup had slipped from my grasp, and broken all over the floor. Stares bore into the back of my head as I bent down to grab the larger pieces, before the giggling waitress came with a small dustpan and broom, insisting that I sit down and let her clean it up. Uncomfortably, I returned to my seat and sat facing the wall to avoid spectator's intense gaze, intending to return to my meal to recover from the embarrassment. I pulled up my hood and ate with less enthusiasm than before, my mind racing with questions. I hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but I heard the word Akatsuki and my interest peeked.

"... -taken Kazekage Gaara," the silver-haired man said slowly. "It is thought that he somehow infiltrated the village. One fought with Gaara, and he used exploding clay. They were last seen carrying him in a giant white clay bird's talons. So far, nobody has seen of them since they left the village with Gaara."

The woman was stunned to silence. She reached for her cup, and when she did it cracked. She shook her head clear.

"G-Gaara?!" her concerned tone made it seem like the name meant a lot to her, and the person who it belonged to was precious to her. Hearing this sparked my interest. I had heard rumours about the young Kazekage of the Sand. He was said to be the Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi. It was none of my business, but my brother had been in contact with Akatsuki recently. For what reason were unknown to me – I even know if it had anything to do with the Sand's situation – but I had overheard my older brother talking with clan members about the tailed beasts, powerful animal-like demons with incredible chakra. I had a feeling it wouldn't end with the One-Tail.

The three shinobi wore Hidden Leaf Village forehead protectors. The blonde boy... he gave me a peculiar sensation. He was about the same height as me, maybe a little bit shorter, with spiky bright blonde hair and blue eyes. He had three thin whisker-like marks on his face, giving him a slightly feral look. When I was around very strong chakra sources, my energy drew out chakra from that person more than anything else. It rarely happened to me, except in the presence of my father, but I knew when I was experiencing it because I would feel the pull of energy increase to draw in more chakra, before releasing it back into the atmosphere. But this feeling was different – stronger than any other pull I had experienced. But that wasn't what concerned me – the vibes I was getting from this boy made the hairs on my neck stand on end. Not in fear, but in what seemed like... anticipation? It felt as though my body were anxiously waiting for something to transpire. I frowned at him, my eyebrows pulling together in frustration.

He suddenly turned and looked directly at me, my white eyes meeting his blue ones, and for a second I could swear they flashed red. Mortified that I had been caught staring; I hastily grabbed my bag and stood up to leave, throwing down a few notes and some change as a tip for the girl. As I walked past the group of shinobi, they discreetly watched me out of the corner of their eyes. The blonde boy didn't even hide his gaze, and gawked at me with wide eyes.

I knew what they were probably wondering, and cursed myself for not being more careful about it. No one knew about my clan, we had tried to remain a shadow throughout history, guiding other clans to dark means. Occasionally members of the clan would be born with the Byakugan. Those who had the misfortune, were deemed trash and thrown into the river as soon as they opened their infant eyes, so I heard. Now, it was very uncommon for a child to be born into my clan with the Byakugan, and hadn't occurred during my father's reign. I was the exception and because of my fate, it was ruled out as tolerable and even _'useful'_, nonetheless I was still ostracized because of it. None of the other boys would even come near me, let alone talk to me, and their father's told them that without my future, I would be nothing, and they grew to fear me or be jealous of my inexplicable, uncontrollable power. I was isolated, and struggled to make it through the days without having loneliness devour my conscious. At my worst, I would wake up and everything would be fully reduced to ashes around me, while my father stood watch, grinning with glee. To compromise my identity would be to expose my clan, and as much as I loathed their way of life and merciless ways, they were still the people who raised me. They were all I had whether I liked it or not, and though they only saw me as an important pawn in their greater plan, the same blood ran through our veins, and I could not bring myself to slaughter my own flesh intentionally. I couldn't hurt anyone with the intention to kill. Our secrets must remain hidden. My clan was evil, there was no doubt about that, and had sought the destruction of the world many times, allying with those who also shared those aspirations. Children were taught by the elders of the clan that our main purpose in life, the single reason we lived, was to live out the will of our ancestors, and do whatever means necessary to accomplish that. It had been drilled into their heads by the time they reached maturity. It was the driving force behind my clan, which allowed us to live in seclusion and follow our destiny when the time was right. But my destiny was confusing to say the least. I didn't understand why our ancestors would matter today, and I detested the fact that my clan never changed their ideals because of their endearing devotion to tradition, to bringing about change through annihilation. Others had chosen another course of action of course, abandoned their duties and tried to follow the peaceful path, the righteous one. The path where you have a true family. But few had been successful – our clan was not forgiving to those who betrayed and opposed their ideals. Even I was begrudgingly left alone by other clan members who wanted me dead because I didn't agree with their sick and twisted view on how life should be lived. Of course, that didn't apply to my father and brother. They would beat me within an inch of my life and call it 'training' just so they could show me that despite my prophesized future, I was still nothing compared to them. They made sure I knew my place.

I paused for a second at the gates of the town, completely oblivious to my surroundings. Once again, the pull in my gut urged me to go on, to continue my hateful raging. My hands were shaking terribly, and my head felt slightly dizzy. I inhaled slowly, and then exhaled, attempting to reign in my anger to no prevail. I sat on a bench by the gates and dumped my bag on the ground. I heard a light clang, and glanced up. My mother's forehead protector lay face up on the ground. I gingerly picked it up and turned it over in my hands, feeling the cool, smooth engraving under my fingertips. The single swirl in the shape of a circle glinted under the rays of the sun. Is it said that my mother's home, her country and village, had been destroyed by clan's who feared they're great fūinjutsu during the Shinobi wars. I knew, however, that this was not true. It was not the work of many clans', but one that sought their demise. I learnt of my mother's origins from an old housemaid who lived in the kitchen. She had served under my father personally while he was away on travels for many years, and had been there to tend to my mother, and she cared for her as though she were her own flesh. It was my father's clan who had wiped out the Land of Whirlpools and almost everyone in it, thirty two years ago. What their motive was that day is unknown to me, but my mother was seized, captured as a sort of trophy and forced to marry my father.

She had to abandon her family, to follow my father. I don't remember much about my mother – I was still so young when she was taken away from me, but the housemaid had told me that my mother had lost almost everyone in the invasion; her mother, her father, brothers and cousins. Her land destroyed, her people eradicated, and those who survived fled aimlessly. She was only nine at the time and had struggled against the initial wave, but her family fought and fell, leaving only her and her five year old sister behind. At that moment they were truly alone, probably the only souls still in Uzushiogakure, days after the attack. This was when my young father, newly renowned head of his clan and leader of this vendetta, found the pair hiding out in their home, almost starved to death, but breathing nonetheless. My father had sensed very strong chakra and sniffed it out, which is how he found my mother and her sister. My mother agreed to go willingly with my father as long as he sent her sister to safety and she saw that. According to the housemaid, her younger sister was sent to a camp set up by the Third Hokage of Konoha, and was found and taken in by a widow from her clan who lived there. The young girl was put under a strong, enduring genjutsu to believe that all of her family had died in the war, but to feel no pain because of it, and live on believing that she had no idea who her family were. The genjutsu would only strengthen over time, and eventually she would forget all recollection of her land lost to the sea. My mother was added to the countless number of slaves he had acquired from his victory, but she was always his prize and he was determined to have her. When she was of ripe age, he snatched her up and she became his wife. One day, when she was twenty four she received news that she was pregnant. It was her third pregnancy, but the first were girls and much to her horror they were thrown into the river by her husband's, my father's command. Despite her failures, he still kept her around instead of killing her, which led to much speculation, since my father wasn't exactly the . She feared for her unborn child's life, though upon finding it was a boy my father was overjoyed.

When the old woman told me this I laughed: _"Why would he be happy about my birth? He hates me, he always has!"_ I yelled, thinking it was cruel of her to lead on my feelings like that. The servant just stared at me intensely, the skin around her wrinkly eyes pulling back to eye me. It was as though she were trying to see into my soul, and now that I thought about it she probably was, implanting thoughts and beliefs about my mother that I never got to hear for myself with those wise eyes. She simply turned away from me, saying that my mother always loved me more than enough for the both of them. It was a sufficient answer for me, and I never doubted it. In the past I had trouble keeping my emotions under control, especially after... everything but I moved past that and trained hard, focusing on my chakra control and trying to find ways to calm myself. But sometimes – actually a lot of the time – when I felt this energy threatening to escape and envelop everything in its path in utter nothingness, I would think of my mother, and what I my mind imagined her to be like. Beautiful, happy, kind and loving. I dreamed of what our life would be like together if she wasn't taken away from me; we would live in a small wooden shack off the secluded coast of the Fire Country, by the ocean closest to her destroyed home. I had never seen the ocean, but I could just envision us sailing on a warm summer's day in a little yacht, the sea gently lapping against the sides, salty breeze carrying us along. We would visit the ruins known as Uzushiogakure to pay our respects, and then leave a bunch of white lilies that mother had grown in her garden. And one day mother would reunite with her sister, and aunty would be just as beautiful as mother. I would find my mother's missing clan and create another village around our home. My mother, aunty and I would all live together in our hut, a happy family – a proper family. Like all my dreams, they were merely that, and would never come true while I lived under my father's house and rule. And unless I fulfilled my duty, my fate they all talked about, my destiny they forced me to accept, I would never earn my freedom and rid myself of this bloody clan. I would never, ever know what it would be like to see the ocean, to have that real family. I didn't want to hurt people, or cause a reign of darkness, I knew that deep in my heart. It really wasn't a hard choice. Hell, I didn't even like living in a place where it's always dark, I'd much rather live in a place with warm weather and good food. But my father... he scared me for reasons I could not fathom. I loathed him but I could never go against him. I was too weak. I thought about how he had easily manipulated me with those disturbing images, how I had practically begged for him to release me from his genjutsu. To oppose him would mean death for me, either by his hand or by Takeshi's. I don't know who would be more eager at the opportunity to kill me once I became useless – my father or my brother. Both are probably just waiting for the day that I fail so they have an excuse.

My hands trembled violently as this thought came to mind, and suddenly I couldn't breathe. I tried to open my mouth, but it was as though it were sewn shut. My father flashed before my eyes, smiling that all-too familiar menacing smile. He chuckled pitilessly as I clawed at my throat, desperate to seek air. Even when the images stopped, his chuckle boomed all through my body, while I sought air with the desperation of a madman.

"_You okay there?" _

It was as though I had been snapped back to the real world, and all of the realistic sensations I had been suffering under lifted, and I realised I was still sitting on the bench, grasping my mother's forehead protector. A stranger cast a shadow over me, and I didn't dare glance up, instead just nodding.

"I'm fine, thank you." But even as I said it I heard the deception in my shaky voice. I reached for my bag, but before I could put my mother's forehead protector in my knapsack, the person cleared their voice.

"Hey, I know that symbol!" The person loudly proclaimed enthusiastically.

I glanced up to get a glimpse of the somehow familiar stranger. I could tell from the feeling his chakra gave me; it felt as though I were being replenished, my energy increased even though I had just been put under what felt like a horrifying genjutsu. It was the boy from the teashop; the yellow headed one that gave me a strange feeling – or at least a shadow clone of him. I stood up and turned away from him, putting away my mother's forehead protector then pulling my bag over my shoulder and walking out the gates of the town. The clone followed me. I didn't want to discuss anything with this stranger – not the symbol or the fact that I possessed one of his village's most precious kekkei genkai.

"I know the symbol's origins." I lied, "I have no business with you, so please leave and let me be on my way."

My strides became longer, so the boy had to jog to keep up with my pace. My form flickered as I leapt into the tall trees surrounding the path, trying to escape my pursuer. I had no idea where I was going, so it seemed the boy would probably have the advantage as it was his home turf and he must have known this land off by heart, but as I propelled myself from tree to tree, my feet moved on their own accord, and the wrenching feeling in my stomach pulled me in the direction I needed to go.

"Hey! Where ya going? You seemed pretty spooked back there on the bench. I'm not here to hurt you or anything; I'm just wondering why you have a forehead protector with _that _symbol!" he was very noisy and persistent I had to admit. He chased me for a good hour before I grew tired of the chase and suddenly stopped in my tracks in a meadow with a deep stream running through the green grass. I turned to face him just as he appeared on the other side of the river.

"Finally you stopped!" he beamed, barely phased.

"What do you want? Just leave me alone. I'm just a traveller." I said abruptly, ignoring him. He was beginning to frustrate me, and the angry pit in my centre was building up to a point where I wouldn't be able to control my actions. I can owe that to the genjutsu I'm sure I was just put under. Not only that, but my rage tugged at all the energy around me, increasing my body's gravity-like pull.

He put his hands up defensively, and then said hesitantly, "I just wanted to know why you have that forehead protector. That's all."

I raised my eyebrows at him. Why did it matter to this stranger so much? I weighed up the pro's and con's of telling this boy the truth, and when I decided there wouldn't be any harm in telling this boy the truth, I dropped my bag on the ground in the shade of a tree and leaned against the trunk, my arms resting on my knees bent in front of me. I pulled out the forehead protector with my clan's symbol on it, smoothing my fingers over the etched symbol. The boy sat opposite me, his expression uncertain. I glanced up at him, and tilted my head to the side, taking in his appearance. I could tell it was a shadow clone; I didn't even have to activate my Byakugan. The feeling I had gotten before had lessened, halved in fact.

"Before I tell you anything, tell me why you sent a shadow clone after me and not your real self? It's impolite when introductions are made." I snorted, staring at the blowing leaves in the trees. It was beautiful to watch, and in all honesty I found the tranquillity of the forest in the Fire Country helped keep my anger at bay. I was just sad it would only be for a short time before I had to return to the compound, to my dreary land.

"Oh, sorry I had to send a shadow clone; I'm on a top secret mission to rescue my friend!" he looked sad, but determined when he spoke of this friend who I suspected was the Kazekage.

"Friend?" I repeated the word but it came out more like a question. I hadn't heard the word in years; it was a foreign term to me now. I don't even remember what it feels like to have one, since I was perpetually alone at the compound, secluded in my solitary sanctuary. I'm sure my face may have given this away, because the boy stared at me questioningly, as though he were appalled at my puzzled expression.

"Yeah, a friend, someone you care about who you want to protect. You have friends don't you?"

I paused, thinking about the boys my age in the clan's Academy who sneered from a distance at me because they couldn't stand to be around me. I thought about the maids, who were now after so many years, still afraid of me and would only talk to me when they had to. I cared about little Chiyaki, but I could not protect her. I thought about my brother, who only put up with me for his sake, and my father, who I could probably say the same about. Then another person popped into my mind, whose memory I had tried to suppress for many years.

"I had a friend once. Many years ago, when I was about ten."

"You _had_ a friend?" He replied, emphasizing my use of past tense. I ignored his speculating tone and continued.

"Well, she was actually my younger sister, she was five."

His jaw dropped. "I-I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. "

I smiled at him as waves of buried memories resurfaced. I went on to explain to distract myself from the emotions currently overwhelming me.

"It's fine, it was such a long time ago I don't really think about it much." I lied. I wasn't really that keen on revealing a dark secret of mine to complete stranger, but his eyes... they didn't look at me with pity – the common responses to death or loneliness, I've read – but with what looked like concern and empathy, but also it seemed to spark a reaction from the boy, and he glanced down at the ground as if his past memories had emerged as well. Seeing this, I decided to be bold.

"Actually, to tell you the truth I try very hard to forget. My younger sister, Kaminari was the only person who I could say I really believed to be my family, even if we only shared a father."

I stared off into the distance, remembering our childhood together. Thinking about it still gave me that distinct warm feeling, like it was another one of my dreams that I dreamed up during the endless days at the compound. It could have been, but the pain reminded me it was true; I was living in reality now.

"I had loved her from the day she was born, though my father had no interest in her. Her mother was captured during the raid of a temple, and had been impregnated by my father. Sadly, she died very shortly after giving birth to Kaminari. I was only a child, but I had stayed by her side and helped one of the young slaves bring my younger sister to this world, and I was the first one to hold her in my arms. Her mother made me swear on her deathbed that I would protect Kaminari from my father and I promised I would keep her safe from the adamant harm that the very small population of young girls who are born into our clan suffer from."

I knew how infant girls were treated in our clan; while most slaves who gave birth to boys were allowed to nurse their children, and stay at their side until the age of three – the age when they were officially conducted into the clan with this awful bloody ritual, and by the age of four were in the Academy training. After their child's third birthday the woman would either be killed or sold to a slave dealer. Then again, it wasn't much difference to my father – he killed every single one of his wives after the 'maternal period', so we would never remember our mother's and only know the will of the clan, the hatred of our ancestors.

I hesitated, asking myself if I should really be revealing clan secrets, to this strange, loud boy. I decided to ignore protocol and follow my instincts that were begging me to continue.

"The women who gave birth to girl's were killed mercilessly as soon as they gave birth, and then tossed into the river along with their newborn."

His face probably mirrored my own when I was told this. "Why? Why would your clan do something like that?!"

"It's been that way for generations. I don't know when they adopted the tradition but it's just something they've always known I guess. Not everyone wants this, but the will of the clan is unchangeable."

It was horrible – I still remembered my father's reaction when he entered the room, arms crossed behind his rigid back and head held high, after the slave had given birth to Kaminari and found that it was a girl. He turned away in disgust and made a sound that was halfway between a grunt and a snort, then spat at the ground, because he was so repulsed by the sight.

"When he came into the room shortly after the woman gave birth and saw it was a girl, he waved his hand, and immediately two masked men moved towards them slowly, like they were easy prey. I gave my newborn sister to the girl. Kaminari was so amazingly loud, it was beautiful. She cried – her infant voice surprisingly noisy for her tiny size – unaware of the danger around her. I knew I had to protect her – I had just promised her mother that I would – and for once, I actually felt like I had a purpose in life. I was her older brother, her only hope. I was weak, but I would fight as much as I could for her, even if I had to die for her to live. I loved her. So I put myself in between the attackers and my baby sister, and told them that they weren't going to touch either of their targets. My father heard this and stopped. Now, if you ever get the misfortune, and I really hope you don't, of meeting my father you'll know exactly why I'm absolutely... shit-scared of him. He turned to look at me, opposing his orders, and just laughed. He said, 'if you can defeat the attackers on your own, then I will let that brat live as a slave', and then he ordered the shinobi to not hold back against me. I was terrified; I didn't actually think my father would consider such a request that went against his traditions. I was only five, and although I had been at the Academy for a year, I was very slow to learn things. I tried to remember all of my training, and I would fight against them as hard as I could but I wasn't very big and I didn't have much skill in taijutsu or genjutsu, and the ninjutsu I knew were mostly destructive ninjutsu that would bring the whole room down. I was only outnumbered by one, though it felt like my chances might as well have been one in a hundred. I... I remembered a special jutsu though, that were written on the secret scrolls my father had somehow gotten his hands on and he forced me to read. It was under the scarce dōjutsu section of my father's collection of techniques. I held my index finger up and closed my eyes, and it was like my body could _feel _the air surrounding it.

I opened my eyes and it was as though I could see everything around me. I could see through the two shinobi's masks and recognized them as boys a few years older than me, who had been in my classes at the Academy. I could see within their bodies at the flow of their chakra, and at the way their organs pumped chakra into their chakra coils as they pulled out a blade and fed their combined physical and spiritual energy into it through the tiny pinprick holes along the surface of the skin. It was strange, but it felt... natural. I saw their exact movements; I could counter every strike and actually make my punches connect for once. I actually managed to strike them both with another technique I read in the scroll that was supposed to temporarily paralyze its victim. That's what was supposed to happen. But when I turned around to check that Kaminari was safe, I felt a presence behind me, and before I knew it, a kunai was driven through my body, only just missing my lung. I don't remember much after that, but when I came to, I had..."

The image flashed in my mind; I blinked my eyes fiercely to adjust to the scene before me. I could hear screams and Kaminari shrieking, but they were muffled. I glanced around with my hazy vision, and found a figure standing directly in front of me. My senses returned to me, and my mouth dropped, my whole body shaking as my frightened eyes, back to their normal form, took in the horrible memory. I was in a striking stance, one hand thrusting out before me.

"I had put my hand, that felt as though it were burning, through his chest, and I remember looking into his eyes and seeing the light leave them. My father approved so much of the ending that he even let Kaminari stay with me, and not become a slave. He even praised me for finally activating my Byakugan and was glad I had stolen his scrolls. He said things like my destiny was going to begin from that day on, and I was going to lead the clan into a new era one day. For months and years after that I still couldn't forgive myself and I was scared about what I don't even remember doing."

I took a glimpse up at the boy, my neck sore from prolonged staring at the gently blowing grass. He was gripping his stomach with his hand, staring at the ground with fierce intensity, his teeth clenched together.

"I... I know what you mean about hurting someone accidentally. My teacher tried to help me control my power and I almost killed him. I don't remember doing it either, all I remember was this rage taking over me. But you did it to save your sister. You were only five, and you were made to protect your sister, and you did that. It must have been a natural instinct, or something, because you saved her life even though you were injured."

I tilted my head sideways when he said this, and actually smiled genuinely. His last comment made me look at what I did differently in a new light. A natural instinct? That was a definitely a first. He understood what it was like to not be in control of yourself, of your actions. He knew what it was like to hurt someone important to you because of your own capabilities, maybe not to the extent that I did, but still enough for him to feel guilty about it. We had that common ground – that was also a first for me.

"I can tell that you know what its like, don't you? To be alone, to be feared and hated because of what is inside of you. I can feel it, you know; you and I are the same. But there's something different... you... you have much more hope than I can ever dream of. Just by looking at you and those people with you, and the way you enthusiastically go after your friend even though you presumably have no idea of his whereabouts tells me that you have found a place for you, a place filled with people who care about you, and people you would give your life to protect."

The boy was completely shocked, and it looked as though I had hit the nail on the head. "How would you know that?"

I smiled. "I was like you once, happy and confident in myself and my decisions, ready to fight for my friendship. But when my sister died, I couldn't handle it anymore, and I just gave up. My life in the compound went back to normal – as though those five years were just nothing – and I went back to being alone."

"Did they kill your sister? If they did, why would you stick around?! Why wouldn't you just leave or try to fight your way out?! That's not right to just give up like that!"

"No. They had a part in it, yes, but they weren't to blame."

"Well, who did then?!"

"I did. I killed my sister."

* * *

><p><strong>Hey, sorry for the long wait! Originally this was the first half of one chapter, but then I saw it was pushing 14,000 and decided that maybe it would be a good idea to leave it there. It will progress soon! Hopefully! Reviews would help :) <strong>


	8. Chapter Seven

**Back in Konoha... **

It was before the break of dawn when I heard light scuffling in the hallway just outside my slightly ajar door. It wasn't until about one in the morning that I really managed to get some sleep, after staying up throughout the night to heal the severe burns I caused, but even that was short lived – I woke up in a cold sweat a few hours later after dreaming that I was paralysed again, unable to move, but this time, someone was standing over me. It was a hazy figure, unrecognizable, but their eyes were featureless. I kept on screaming a name – Hinata, the name of the girl who had saved me. I woke with a start, shivering as chills rippled down my spine. I tasted blood and realised that the sharp sting I was feeling was due to the fact that I had bitten down hard on my lip. I couldn't sleep for a while after that, I just lay in bed, thinking. Then I heard movements through the thin walls and the sound of footsteps. Uncle was awake much earlier than normal, especially after an intensive healing period. Then again, he was Itachi Uchiha. Even my father praised his strengths, and he was almost five years his senior. I sat up and slipped my legs over the edge of the bed, feeling my toes touch the cold hardwood floor made me tremble and I reached for my long pale blue coat and slipped it over my shoulders, wrapping it around my body. I silently crept over the floorboards, gently pushing open the door and trekking softly down the corridor to the kitchen. I rounded the corner and found my uncle in the dim kitchen, splashing his face with water. I suddenly stopped. For a second I was alarmed – he was shirtless, only wearing the same blue pants that hung loosely around his waist from when I had healed him yesterday. His pale skin glowed in the dark, and I couldn't help but blush at the sight of the prominent muscles of his lean back and toned arms. The thoughts were banished immediately, what the hell was wrong with me? Did I just notice his muscles? I cursed myself a thousand times over in my head mutely, before I slowly continued into the kitchen. I was just being silly – this was who I called Uncle. I had healed him before, and come to think about it; yesterday he had removed his shirt during the healing process. My cheeks reddened even more as I recalled the awkwardness of last night, and recollections of his bare chest ran through my mind fleetingly.

His dark head slightly inclined at the sound of my approaching light treads, and I grabbed the towel from the bench closest to me, passing it to the older man. He patted his face dry, and I turned away when I noticed that he had activated his sharingan. We must have had a visitor, it seems. There were a few candles on the bench as well as some matches, so I lit a candle and placed it on a small plate on the counter. Light filled the room and I felt relief. I hated the darkness, always have. Light gave me a sense of security – exposing what was in the dark calmed my vivid imagination.

"You're up early." I commented, lifting up the teapot and placing it in the sink to fill it with water. Once it was full, I lifted the pot and held it out to my uncle timidly. He smiled warmly and gave me a curt nod, taking the pot and, after making a few hand seals, he produced a small blue flame on the tip of his index finger. He held it under the pot and increased the output, warming the liquid inside and bringing it to a boil. Uncle set the scorching teapot on the stove, and I proceeded to make tea for the two of us using some of the provisions he had picked up on the way here.

"My superior has requested my presence for the sealing technique. Deidara has captured the Ichibi of the Sand, and he and Sasori are on their way to the location now. I must leave to seal the bijuu soon, so I have to set up a few barriers to keep you safe." Uncle's tone was full of unease. My heart dropped and my grip on the pot momentarily faltered, splashing the boiling water on my hand as I was pouring our tea – _another Jinchuuriki, huh?_ I thought as I ran cold water over it, thankful of the blissfully freezing temperature as it hit my red skin. I turned the faucet, cutting the flow abruptly. I dried my now healed hand with the towel, and cupped my hands around the warmth.

Uncle took his tea with a polite thank you and walked out of the tiny living room slash kitchen combination, to the spare bedroom down the hall opposite my father's room, or my current living quarters, and the bathroom, which was basically a toilet, a sink and a screened bath which also had a removable shower head. The lounge was pretty basic as well – where it branched off to a miniscule foyer, a navy couch took up a small corner, and the rectangle coffee table made out of dark wood in front of it had a few books and pieces of paper scattered on top. There was another small bookcase next to the couch, which held various books and even a few photos of my father and his other friends and team members from the Academy. In the corner adjacent to the entrance was the kitchen, and beside that the hall which led to the bedrooms and bathroom. Behind an L-shaped counter there was a relatively large kitchen, compared to the space of the lounge area, with a stove, a metal sink and a refrigerator that came up just past my hip. Overhead were a few cabinets, and there in the corner was a table against the wall with three chairs. It was homely, and would have been very comfortable if it weren't for the accumulation of dust and that nothing worked – electricity and hot water were out, because apparently the village cut off those necessities since there were no longer any occupants in the Uchiha compound. The water still worked, although it was freezing, and Uncle had insisted that he would be able to get the electricity up and running soon as we were going to be in Konoha for a while. Now, I knew that wouldn't be possible as I watched my Uncle go from room to room, putting barriers in place at every possible entrance. I sighed and went to the navy couch, bringing my legs up and balancing the cup on the arm. I let my hair out of its unkempt bun and ran my fingers through the silky strands, tugging at the knots with one hand while sipping my tea. Another depressing factor; I had forgotten my comb. Now my hair looked like a bird had decided to permanently set up residence, declaring my messy bun its nest.

Shortly uncle had donned his black cloak with red clouds, the signature attire of the Akatsuki. I thought it was the stupidest idea ever – wearing the most obviously revealing cloaks every single time they were 'on duty', when everyone knew it was their trademark look. And don't even get me started on the straw hats. Then again, subtlety was never their thing. I can only imagine how the capture of the One-Tails had gone down... Deidara was notorious for leaving an effect, usually in the form of an atomic-like blast, so I had heard. The Akatsuki had already incarcerated the Five-Tails and the Seven-Tails, and they showed no signs of stopping. What was worst was that the villages of these Jinchuuriki didn't even care about them; in fact I'm sure uncle mentioned that the Two-Tails had been sold out by her own villagers.

"Do you really have to leave? I mean, I thought we were on an important mission for Akatsuki already? You can't just leave me here by myself. Maybe I should go with you?" I asked suddenly, as Uncle walked past me he paused.

"No, I can't risk exposing you to the Akatsuki. They're already growing suspicious of me, since that time I failed to seize the Nine-Tails on purpose. Our mission is personal, and we will continue it when I return. The fact is that Konoha is a very safe place for you to be at the moment, and our mission is here. But for now, I must go. It's the only way I can keep my true identity a secret, and spy on Akatsuki," Uncle Itachi sighed heavily, and came to sit next to me on the couch. I scooted my legs around so that I was now sitting up straight, and grabbed his hands warily, leaning on my uncle's shoulder for comfort. I was worried. I didn't like what my uncle was taking a part of, and I knew he didn't either.

"I know, but is that enough? This is their third Jinchuuriki, and I know you said you were figuring out a way to stop them but right now... I don't think that you can, Itachi-sama." The last part came out as a hoarse whisper. We were both silent, and I knew he was thinking the same thing. My uncle was just as worried as I was about his role for the future.

Uncle never kept me in the dark when it came to his 'work'. He never kept me in the dark about anything, to be quite honest. I knew of his brother Sasuke, and how Uncle Itachi and a masked man claiming to be Madara Uchiha, the long-dead Uchiha who was the first, with his brother, to awaken the mangekyō sharingan, slaughtered the entire clan in a single night because they planned to stage a rebellion against the village that Uncle and my father both loved. I remember how I was completely horrified when he told me this – women, child and men all murdered in cold blood because of the cursed hatred of our clan and the will of fire that my uncle possessed. It was these reasons, and this danger, that my father was unable to permanently move my mother and I into the village, as much as he wished he could have.

Even this house, my father's secret apartment that was on the outskirts of the Uchiha compound, was meant to be for us to live in as a family. My father loved his village – he would always tell me stories about how the village was started when the Senju and Uchiha clan finally formed a truce after years of fighting and killing each other out of spite, the sacrifices that were made to protect the village, like the Fourth Hokage, who had also taught my father at the Academy, giving his life to seal away the Kyuubi inside of his son, and the battle between other rivalry nations to keep our village safe. In fact, my father had wanted to move us to Konoha sixteen years ago, after finding out that my mother and he, only at the tender age of fifteen and sixteen, had conceived a child together. My father lived by himself in a diminutive flat given to those who were orphans, but it was in the heart of the compound, and he wanted to separate himself, and us, from the clan as much as possible, while still keeping to the village's law that the Uchiha should live outside Konoha boundaries, and so he acquired this bigger apartment and planned for us to move in. He had even made up our fake aliases – my mother was the daughter of rice farmers who had been murdered in cold blood, and they had met while he was on a trip to the Land of Lightning. It wasn't a complete lie, but hid her true origins nonetheless. But, about four months before my mother was due to give birth, the Nine-Tails, which had been sealed away in the Fourth Hokage's wife, was released and laid waste to Konoha. My father wasn't present on that day though – he was with us, in Yugakure at the time it happened, but had heard all about it from Uncle Itachi. This prevented him from moving us to the town, and he postponed our arrival. My father felt awful for not being there for his village when they needed him the most, but apparently the Uchiha weren't even allowed to battle the Kyuubi anyway – the village elders thought that they were behind the beasts attack, and this led to surveillance around the Uchiha compound being increased. Fear towards the Uchiha amplified, and they were completely ostracized by the other clans and villagers. However, the Third Hokage was very reasonable, and allowed my father to carry out his plan of forcing uncle's father, Fugaku Uchiha, under a genjutsu unknowingly using his amazing technique Kotoamatsukami. He intended to go to attend the clan's rally that was to take place in a week, and manipulate him into telling the elders to cancel the coup d'état, to calm the Uchiha and make them see that the Leaf Village needed them. The Hokage had spoken privately with him later, and promised that if his plan succeeded then the security of the compound would be lessened, and he even went as far as suggesting that a new compound be created closer to the hub so that we might all be able to live in peace, and – my father was thoroughly surprised at the Hokage's awareness – maybe Shisui Uchiha could bring his family into the village to settle down properly. I had never seen my father so happy before that day when he returned home after two weeks away in Konoha, with the news that the Third Hokage himself had promised we would be able to move into the Hidden Leaf Village without worrying about the repercussions, if he was successful with his new mission. My mother, who was very sick at the time, was happy too, but she told him not to be too hopeful, because anything could change. And she was right. My father never returned, because before the clan's rally he was overpowered and one of his eyes were stolen. That's why he sent Itachi, his best friend who was like a brother to him. Mother died only four days later, and he was deemed my guardian. He was a missing-nin, a wanted S-rank criminal and listed in the bingo book for murdering his entire clan. At first I didn't trust him. I was actually terrified of him, and saw no similarities with the boy my father had told me about – kind, cheerful but serious, who dreamed with my father of a world without war. He spent most of his time with my mother while she was alive, and when she passed he revealed to me why he could not bring me back to Konoha, like I had insisted. He told me that there were only four, possibly five members of the Uchiha clan left, and I was one of them, and from what he heard about me, that it was best if we stick to the shadows. And what better way to do that, than to join the organization that deals within the shadows? By aligning with Akatsuki he could protect his village and his brother, and also keep me from them as well, lead them off my trail and make sure I stayed in the dark. And also, if I were to return to Konoha now, there would be questions about my existence, and once it was made known that I was the daughter of Shisui Uchiha, all of his enemies would come searching for me, as well as the old enemies that my mother's clan had attracted. And so I was forced to continue living in seclusion, moving around sometimes with Uncle and sometimes with shadow clones of him when he was away on 'business'. I grew to love my father's best friend, and think of him as family, which we technically were since the same blood ran through our veins. He shared his stories about his home with me and I saw that same will of fire that my father talked about so vividly inside my uncle – the will to protect those close to you, even if it meant isolation or death. That's what fuelled my uncle's spirit – why his energy was so strong. He was willing to die for his village, to go where others would not, and to do whatever means necessary to save his home and the people he cared about, to even go as far as unite with the enemy to keep the village safe. That's why it was lost on me – I had no one to care for except my uncle. Everything I once had is dead. He was the only thing stopping me from being alone in this world. I would hold on to that as fiercely as I could. I didn't understand what it meant to be a part of a clan or a village, but I did know what it was like to love your family. My mother and father were the most loving, supportive and kind-hearted parents anyone could have wished for, and I'm glad they were mine. It hurt that I couldn't do anything about their deaths, that I was powerless. But now I knew I wasn't powerless. I was strong. I would try to keep my uncle from any harm. Even Madara Uchiha himself. Well, that's what I told myself, but I knew that wouldn't change anything. I was still nothing.

"If you were to get hurt... or if this person decides to come after you when he finds out that you aren't who you seem... I don't know what I could do to help you. I'm weak, my only accomplishment is awakening my sharingan, but even then it was because dad helped me. I can't protect you against someone like Madara. I will never ever be able to protect anyone like dad did, I can't even protect you from myself." My words rang with acceptance and shame. I buried my head deeper into uncle's chest, hiding my disgrace. He put his arms around me and pulled me in closer and I felt that smouldering tenderness I got when this happened. It was strange, new for me, and made me feel slightly embarrassed, but nevertheless, it calmed my nerves and reassured me that everything would be alright.

"Emiko, you aren't weak. I've seen you, and I know you are truly stronger than you will ever know. But I don't need you to protect me; I won't get hurt. I think I know what they're planning, but I must be cautious. I haven't seen the masked man since I was invited to join Akatsuki, but I know he's behind the scenes. He wants us to collect the bijuu for a reason, and I know it's much bigger than just using the Gedo Statue as a weapon against the shinobi nations. If I'm right about my assumption, then I want to make sure that it's stopped before anything can happen. I have a feeling that the one claiming to be Madara is going to make a return soon – I'm sure he detects my lie. I have to prove to him that I can be trusted, and that means I have to go. So please Emiko," he squeezed me again, "stay here. I will be back before you know it."

I sighed and loosened my grip on his cloak, pulling away. "Okay, fine. But what are we even doing in Konoha?"

Uncle stood up and gathered his knapsack. It was his and Kisame's job of setting up traps it appeared. "We are here to follow the instructions of your mother; another final request for me to follow through with. Your parents were good at that."

My interest sparked and the onslaught of questions began. "Mother sent us here? Why? What did she tell you? Is it about me?"

He chuckled at my curiosity. "Yes, we are here on your mother's request. That's all you are going to know for the moment, as I don't want you wandering off around the village on your own. As a matter of fact, you are to stay here at all times. Don't roam the village, don't leave the compound. I brought enough supplies for you to live on for a few days while I'm gone, so you should have no reason to leave."

I glared at uncle. How cruel. "So you're saying I have to stay holed up in this dusty, powerless apartment until you get back? Which is like what, three, four days away?"

"My apologies for the lack of electricity, but you'll have to survive. And yes, I expect you to stay put. To parade around the village without them being ready... it could cause a great disruption Emiko. What if you're put into a situation where you have to use your sharingan to defend yourself? It would expose you as another one of the lost Uchiha clan, and your eyes would have a price on them. Orochimaru, Danzo, Kabuto... all of them would absolutely love to get a hand on your eyes. You are, after all, the daughter of the formidable Shisui Uchiha, one of the few Uchiha to awaken the mangekyō sharingan and use Kotoamatsukami. Even I can't say that I've ever used that technique. You are special, and you need to realise that. You are precious beyond belief. Please, just stay here."

I huffed, defeated. "I suppose I could catch up on some reading and studying."

Uncle smiled and my heart fluttered a little. Something popped into my mind, just as uncle began to make his way to the window opposite the couch. He pulled back the curtains and the sun was rising to the right, casting its glow on the mountainside where the faces of the past Hokage's were carved into the rock.

"Will you be back before my birthday?" I asked abruptly as he unlatched the window and pushed one frame open.

Uncle paused and loudly cursed to himself. "That's right; your birthday is in four days."

I was hurt that uncle had forgotten my sixteenth birthday, after always celebrating it with me every year since my parents died. He saw this and jumped down quickly, standing in front of me in an instant and placing his hands on my shoulders.

"I'm sorry for forgetting; I have just had a lot on my mind lately. I will definitely be back before your birthday, I promise. I'll bring you back some of your favourite flowers." Uncle gently pulled me into an embrace once again I was overwhelmed by the warmth I was feeling. I melted into the hold and closed my eyes. My arms unwillingly slipped around his body and then I felt emptiness. I opened my eyes to find my uncle had gone, leaving me, flushed cheeks and all, alone in the empty compound. Suddenly, it didn't feel so warm anymore.

* * *

><p>The boy and I sat in silence for a while, watching the night grow darker, and the light fade quickly. I had gathered a few branches and sticks, and then created a flame to start a fire. We sat around it, huddled into the trunks that sheltered us from the wind that had begun to pick up. I knew he was watching me the entire time.<p>

The look on his face begged me to explain further, but I hesitated. Was it really necessary to tell this boy what I had done? It haunted me, and as much as I tried to forget, I could never escape my reality. But talking to this boy kind of made me feel better about it, like I could possibly, perhaps live with what I had done. Or at least make me feel better that I had let it out. After at least an hour of total silence, I finally spoke up.

"I have read that bottling up your feelings wasn't healthy, but that's what I did for years and years after Kaminari died. I didn't talk to a single soul for at least a year except for one incident, and my feelings of hatred towards my life grew every passing day. My father, only a month after her death tried to force me to go to Academy to continue my studies. He managed to get me to go, simply because I didn't want to speak up to object, and after the first hour, I woke up in a room full of the dead bodies of my classmates, and the last thing I remembered was the heated conversation that broke out between me and one of the older boys. He was one of the older, 'higher class' clan member's son. He remarked on how grateful he was that the "little bitch", referring to my sister, that was allowed to sit at our tables, and eat with us, was finally gone, and me, trying to contain my anger, said politely that he should keep his mouth shut if he wanted to live. I had really meant it; I could feel myself slipping again. He laughed and said that he should be thanking me for that. I remember this throbbing feeling in my head, and then after that my memory is blank, as though it were erased. My father left me to do my own thing, and I found myself training harder and harder to control it, but my feelings still remained the same. I loathed myself and what I could do, which is why I did put so much effort into suppressing it; the power I had, and my sister's death."

"You don't have to talk about it if makes you upset." He said, staring at me in apprehension. I could tell he was shocked at what I was revealing. He probably had seen the tears forming in my eyes involuntarily as I spoke about my sister. It wasn't from sadness though, which most would think would be the cause, but from the happiness that came from our short time together.

"It does, but I think its okay. When I think about my sister I get happy feelings from the good memories."

"Then tell me about her." He sat firmly with his arms and legs crossed, as though he were a child waiting for a bedtime story. I came to my senses and suddenly felt awkward, as I turned my head to wipe away tears from my eyes.

"Haven't we spoken enough already? Don't you have somewhere to be?" I sniffed.

"My real self is still two days away from the Sand Village, and until then he won't need me. He wanted – I wanted to come and talk to you about the symbol, but now it's much more than that. You give me this weird feeling in here," he pointed to his stomach, "and sharing your feelings with others isn't a bad thing. It's through understanding each other that we come to form a bond and become friends." He grinned earnestly.

I paused, pulling away my sleeve that I was using to cover my eyes, "We can become friends if we understand each other's feelings?"

He nodded enthusiastically at my change of tone.

"You think you can understand my feelings?" I asked doubtfully, curious to hear his answer.

"Well, I don't know. I've never had a clan at all, but I don't think your clan sounds very caring, and the way you speak about your dad is like he's a monster. I don't have any parents at all, and I never knew my parents because they died when I was born, the day this thing was sealed inside of me," he grasped his stomach, looking up at me, and his eyes held pain maybe even greater than mine.

"I don't know what it's like to have them, but I'm sure being a family is not like that. But you are right – I do know what it's like to be alone for a long time and I know what that can do to you. I made friends, I formed bonds. I have even lost a bond that was very important to me, and I'm still fighting to get it back, because my bonds mean everything to me, and I'll do whatever it takes to protect them. They're all I have. I can't say I've experienced anything like that, but if you let me, I'll try to understand your feelings."

I stared at the strange boy. He had suffered, and still had such incredibly immense hope, thanks to his bonds he had gained. I looked down and huffed, smiling.

"The way you speak about having bonds is the way my sister used to speak. She encouraged me to dream of places I could never dream of, and to imagine a world where she and I were free. I taught her stories about past problems between other nations and the horrible history of the shinobi world, and while I made it clear that it was merely information good to know, she took it seriously and never stopped talking about peace, and how through understanding each other we could settle our feuds without bloodshed. She had this idea that one day everyone could come to be friends, and there would be no greed, or hatred, just everyone living in harmony. She believed in that, and even said that if I could come to see things that way too, I would change the world. She had so much hope. I haven't thought about it in three years, since the day I decided to chase a new dream after repeating the same old one in my mind. The warm memory of my sister never left me though – I could never forget how happy and lovedmy sister made me feel – and it only added to my remorse. She was beautiful, and as she grew older I read to her the books they would ban us from reading at the Academy, and she was extremely intelligent and insightful for her age. She was aware of everything, and it was frightening. She knew what went on under the surface, despite me trying to keep her away from it, and why she was hated. She was conscious of the set gender roles in our clan. I suppose I wasn't surprised; her mother had been from a line of priestess who possessed great foretelling abilities, and she was wise beyond her years. My father saw her simply as the key to unlocking my true power, and also found it advantageous that she had such an amazing talent, so she was allowed to live in our quarters instead of with the slaves where she normally would be raised. I made a room for us away from everyone else, and we, along with an old maid, because I mean, I'm not gonna be the one changing her diapers, lived on our side of the compound, away from the disgust that the clan had for her and for me. I was only five, but I helped out with raising my sister, and I was always by her side. Part of it was because I didn't have any friends, but also because I was scared that clan members would come after her. When Kaminari was about three years old, she was noticing things like how the maid who helped us wasn't allowed to stay with us, and why there were no other girls. By the age of four she was being sneered at when she walked past other clan members, and would grip my hand tightly and inch closer to me. I would have to sweep her up in my arms and carry her sometimes, to shield her from the cruel eyes of a passerby. She would ask why they looked at her like they hated her, and I would say they weren't looking at her; they were looking at me, which wasn't an outright lie as some of that hostility was directed towards me. You see, what also added to the clan's hatred towards her was her foresight – she was able to predict the future vaguely, and her first vision was at the age of three, where she predicted that a convoy of ours would be discovered in Suna and killed on sight, leaving only one survivor. Nobody believed her, and the convoy was sent to meet up with their allies in the Sand (not to be mistaken with Sand shinobi though, as my father didn't work with the allied nations) to discuss the productivity of their business. The next few days, one of the men turned up, the only one left after their 'allies' had wiped them out in a surprise attack. The next few months, she predicted multiple things for my father, some good, but most were omens that warned against the hasty and radical decisions my father was making. For generations, my clan had stayed in the shadows, altering things in the background, causing mayhem underground so that it might break on the surface. But my father had taken a different approach during his reign, and exposed us to the world. Kaminari predicted that one day we would be discovered, and it came true not a week later when some shinobi from your village, Konoha, came following some information about sacrificial killings taking place to awaken certain powers. Of course, the clan exterminated that threat as though they were just fleas making their coats itch, but after that my father halted all communication to and from the clan, and cast a genjutsu to hide our presence. He hid his army that he had created, which rampaged through towns, slaughtering the innocent and destroying everything until they found what they came for, and decided that more covert operations were necessary to not draw attention to our clan and what he was trying to achieve. You see, my father deals in many aspects of illegal business – slavery, weaponry, drugs, and more importantly, in collecting jutsu. He doesn't learn any of them himself, and I had always wondered why, like what was the point in having so many jutsu if you couldn't use any? That was until Kaminari told me it was because he was looking for something, that he was looking for a specific jutsu. I trusted in her visions a lot and I knew their accuracy, so when she said that the jutsu had something to do with me, I was intrigued as to why, but she said she didn't know. I could tell she did, but I never pushed her – being able to tell the future was a curse for her, and had caused her much pain from the vivid reality-like visions, but she still remained positive despite it, and I believe that seeing death constantly, maybe not before her eyes, but in her mind, also added to her idealistic dreams of peace. One day she had a vision, and after that she changed; she would not let me leave her sight, and would follow me everywhere, to the point where I'd have to shoo her out of the bathroom. I remember her saying things like she was glad she had this bond with me, and that it was important to her, and I said it was important to me too. She said she knew it was, but that I must not ever hurt anyone because of her. I said that nothing would happen to her, and that she was completely safe, but she was still insisting that I learn to control it, so I trained, while she watched over me and shrieked phrases of encouragement. She even persuaded me to try to practice with my Byakugan, and eventually I could use it perfectly. Obviously my father was thrilled. He said that no one would touch her, and that was that. He even gave his word, not that it mattered though. Of course he knew she was a way of controlling me, and one day he put it to use. He wanted to test the strength of my power, and ordered a group of our finest shinobi to take her away from me, and see how hard I fought to get her back. They dragged her away from me, as she kicked and screamed my name. I was ten, and I had trained for moments like these. I fought harder this time than I did the first, but I was careful to not critically injure anyone. I was stronger than before, and to push my limits my father sent in more and more shinobi, until I was almost overwhelmed by the attackers. But all while this was happening, I tried to keep my rage under control, but it was hard – they didn't hold back, and even with my Byakugan, that gave me the ability to keep up with high-speed movements, slashes and cuts ripped through my clothing and left deep gashes all across my skin. I couldn't control it this time; I was already fuming because my father had broken his promise, and scared because I didn't know where Kaminari was. I remember quickly slipping into that familiar darkness, falling into emptiness, and the hatred taking over me. But then... she just... I don't know why she would just..."

I glanced down as my mind recalled the incident that had haunted my conscious for years. My heart raced and my breath came in short, swift gasps. I could feel my body shaking; my fists curled into a ball my body wanted to do the same – to curl up in a ball so that I could keep all the feelings of guilt and resentment inside of me, and not let them out in a way I knew would end up hurting someone. I could feel myself losing control, I had to get a grip or I was going to go crazy. I racked my brain for something, anything that would help me calm down, and just as my head began to throb, a tell-tale sign that I was about to lose it, my consciousness grasped something and held tight, pulling me out of this muddled blur and back to reality. Just thinking about that moment and how much it meant to me gave me the strength to continue.

I exhaled slowly, trying to regain my former posture.

"I was just about ready to fall into that state of mind again, and I would have if I didn't feel someone crush their body against mine. I was in the process of slashing someone with a kunai, and even though I promised my sister I wouldn't fatally wound anyone, I knew my intentions were that. I just felt someone grabbing my shirt, and that's when I opened my eyes and heard her voice. I could always recognize her voice – sweet, soft like tinkling bells in the light breeze."

My gaze was on the boy, but my eyes were far away, in another place and time as I described our final moments together.

"Apparently my father had sent in so many men that it caused a distraction good enough for tiny Kaminari to escape the confused men holding her back, and she pushed through until she got to me. She knew instantly that I wasn't myself, and rushed in blindly to stop me from hurting anyone. She put herself between me and my victim, and when it was all over I realised that he was a kid barely older than her, shaking with fear at what would have been the end of him. My sister had bravely taken a kunai from her older brother, her sworn protector, just to stop me from entering that irrepressible rage that accompanies the frightening unending darkness I always told her about. When my vision cleared and it was my sister kneeling in front of me, her small hand still holding on tight to my blood-soaked front. Her free hand was clutching her chest, where I had swiped my blade straight down through her shoulder and chest. My kunai was still in my hand that was now drenched in my precious sister's blood. Everything around me stopped; all the clan members froze where they stood. I would have changed into the monster I was right then and there if my sister hadn't called out my name. When I heard her voice it gave me hope that she was okay, and that she could still live. I dropped to her side, discarding the weapon, holding her and asking my dying sister how she felt. I memorized every word she said so I remember it so clearly – as though it could have happened just this morning. She looked up at me with her big, bright green orbs and they were still filled with that burning, blazing hope of hers, but now they held a different light. The hope in her eyes was no longer diminished by that lingering darkness hidden in the corner of her soul. It was unrestricted, not in the shadows anymore but on full display. She said that she had never felt better in her entire life. She said that she knew what it was like now, to protect someone special. I thought what she was saying was crazy, and I was alarmed. I begged for her to stay alive, to please just stay with me. I cradled her in my arms, as though she was still that screaming infant, but this time, her voice was fading to a whisper."

As I said this, my voice cracked. I could not bear the memory my younger sister's death at my hand. For years I grieved, and for years I spent every single day wishing that I was dead instead of her. I never liked to linger on the memory of her death, but those first few years I would relive that life-defining second every time I closed my eyes. That was all my brain would allow me to reflect upon from that night. I never really thought much about my sister's last few words, and what she had requested of me that day. I pushed everything – the good and the bad memories, basically anything that reminded me of my sweet sister – into the depths of my consciousness, where no light shone to highlight those memories. I had completely eradicated her memory, promises and all. I felt guilt, but for a different reason.

"Before the light left her eyes, Kaminari held my hands and smiled, saying that she had a vision about me that was very important. I didn't want to hear what she had to say – I knew if she was telling me this then they would be her final words. I wanted to turn away, but I simply couldn't."

The yellow-headed boy's eyes widened. "What was it?"

I shook my head slowly, hesitantly lying. "I honestly don't know. She just said that one day I would bring about peace, that one day I would change my destiny and there would be no more fighting in the world. I asked her how I was supposed to create that dream when I couldn't even protect my own sister, and she just replied that this was not the first, or the last hardship I would have to face, that I would be tested first on the nature of my soul, and if I succeeded the world would be saved. But, of course, if I failed, the earth would inevitably fall into darkness. When she said this to me, she looked sad, pained... like she had already foreseen my future. I was hardly coherent, sobbing and crying over my sister's body even though no tears fell from her eyes. I didn't understand why she was saying all of this to me, and it only occurred to me later that she had been acting strange for a reason before that, and I think she may have seen her own future, and known it was going to come to this. Kaminari told me not to cry for her, that she was happy she had spent every single moment of her life with such a wonderful, kind brother like me."

By this point, I was beaming, while tears flowed freely down my cheeks, unrestrained; thinking about our last moments together made my heart ache, but also reminded me of a lot of things I stood for and why this malice inside of me scared me to death.

"My sister was dying – I could see the light in her eyes slowly dimming and even without my Byakugan, I could feel her energy dissipating. She knew it too, and told me that I was to promise her something. I said that I would try to do anything she said. She began by saying that she wanted me to train hard, to learn how to control my emotions so that I could then control what was inside of me. My sister grinned, teasing that I still had a long way to go before I could save the world. Kaminari said she knew that I was a good person in my heart and I would do the right thing, and that the last thing she wanted me to do was to swear that I would try to pursue peace. I could see her disappearing away before my eyes so I told her I would do everything she asked of me. As her eyes grew darker, she was mumbling mostly nonsense; whispering that she hoped the gods were satisfied, and that she would see me again, incoherent murmurings about peace. Then in the next moment she was... gone."

"I yelled for someone to get a medical ninja, but no one moved. They just stared at me with pity, probably glad that was the outcome. I almost killed everyone, and it was only the fact that I had just made a promise to her that I would try to obtain peace that stopped me from falling unconscious and rampaging through our village. And the fact that my sister was in my arms. So that's exactly what I did – I purposefully isolated myself from the clan. I wanted to completely ignore everyone, but my father tried to encourage me to go back to Academy, and I told you what happened with that brilliant idea. That's when I trained harder and harder, learning how to control my emotions. I still couldn't forget about it though, so in the end I had to lock it away, preserve her memory by not infecting it with the guilt I feel."

Following my last sentence there was nothing but silence. Long, enduring silence. The only sound came from the quiet rustling of the leaves in the trees, as though they were clapping for me. I stared at the ground, afraid of his response. He probably thought of me as a monster now, after hearing that. I wouldn't blame him – that's how I felt about myself.

It was a while before the blonde boy spoke up, and when he did he couldn't decide how to start, and kept opening and closing his mouth, and his response was slow, as though he were thinking of the best way to word his disgust for me. What he said next though, surprised me.

"Do you think that your sister had a good life with you?" he asked suddenly.

I thought about the question intently, before answering.

"Kaminari was shunned by the clan, just like I had been as a child. Nevertheless, she was never alone, because she had me. I was always there for her, so she never felt any indifference. I tried my hardest to make life better for her than it normally would be, and even though we were never paid any attention, that was alright, because we had each other, and our imaginations. My sister was the most cheerful and free-spirited child you would ever find, and even though she was tormented with horrible visions, she thought it could be a way of helping people, and even prevented a few of her predictions from coming true. She was so beautifully hopeful. I don't think I could have given her anything better."

And when I said this, I said it in all honesty. The boy smiled softly at my reaction.

"Then you shouldn't feel bad about your sister. She did what she did in the end for you, and that's pretty brave of her I think. She lived a happy life and you made sure that she didn't have to suffer from loneliness. She died in peace knowing that you loved her. You kept to your promise, and trained hard. But you can't push away her memory completely – you have to remember the good ones, and even sometimes the bad memories remind us why we're fighting, why we have to endure, and can motivate you to change, and become stronger so that you can control yourself, so that way you can protect the people you care about next time. By not thinking about her at all you're just forgetting why you train so hard, and what's really important."

I stared up at the boy in amazement. His words had hit home; no one had ever said anything like that to me. _What's really important...? _I repeated the words in my head. I grinned, glancing up at the boy. There it was again.

"You really do remind me of Kaminari. I can understand now why you would send your clone after me. Your friend must be very important to you." I said the word friend more tentatively and gently now that I was reminded of its significance. This boy was something, that's for sure.

He scratched his head shyly, "well, yeah. He understands my feelings, so we're pretty good friends."

I searched for the words to say. "I think you understand my feelings pretty well, too. You're good at this kind of thing," I admitted sheepishly.

The boy nodded and beamed appreciatively. "Thanks! I don't really know why, I'm just good at making friends I guess."

I froze. "So... we're friends?" I ventured nervously. I had never had a companion besides Kaminari, and I don't exactly know if she counts because she was my sister. I didn't even know if I would see this boy ever again, but the notion of having someone I could actually call friend was exciting and different. It made me feel something I hadn't felt in a long time – trust.

The blonde grinned at my anxious tone, "of course we're friends!"

His obnoxious, teeth-baring smile was contagious and I soon found myself grinning back.

"I'm sorry that I had to send a shadow, but when I get back when can properly meet again. My name is-"

"It's alright. You said we'll meet again one day in person, right?" I said, cutting him off. He bobbed his head feverishly. "Then we'll just learn each other's names when we meet in person, okay?"

"That's fine with me!"

I smiled at his enthusiasm, and his certainty that we would see each other again. I glanced to the sky, and saw that the stars were out. I reached for my knapsack and pulled out the item that lay at the top. I gave him the forehead protector with the single circular swirl engraved on the cool metal. It shone in the orange light of the fire, reflecting the orange from the boy's tracksuit as well.

"This forehead protector belonged to my mother, and I was given it when I was thirteen. It's the symbol of her clan, who resided in the Land of Whirlpools. But their country was wiped out along with her family, and my mother was taken away. Her younger sister lived on, but my mother died when I was a child."

The boy was silent for a moment, and when he spoke his voice was shaky. "Is your mother's last name Uzumaki by any chance?"

My head snapped up immediately, and my expression was one of utter disbelief.

"H-How did you know that?" my voice was barely audible – like a whisper. His blue eyes widened, and they momentarily flickered to a feral red, his pupils transforming into slits and the whisker-like lines on his cheeks became more prominent, feral. My hand fell on my sword uneasily, I grasped my katana tightly, afraid of the look those eyes were giving me. I blinked, and his features were normal again, as if my imagination was running wild or I had eaten some bad berries that were causing me to hallucinate. It would explain the genjutsu I thought I felt and why the kid could break it so easily, since he didn't exactly look very, err, mentally advanced, like common for genjutsu users. I knew better that to judge a book by its covers though. He was very, well emotionally... advanced.

"I know someone from that clan." The boy replied, grinning, flashing a brilliant white smile while scratching his golden head timidly.

My heart pounded in my chest. Was it possible that this kid, my new nameless friend had heard something about my mother's family? Or even... _knew _someone who could help me find my aunt? I had very little reservations now, and decided to trust my new friend.

I looked down at my katana, and gripped the bottom with one hand, the covered blade with the other, twisting both halves at once in opposite directions. Something within the sword clicked, and a small, round compartment popped out the bottom of the katana. It was a hollow slim cylinder, the size of a scientific test tube. The boy stared at me in confusion, opening his mouth to question the mysterious item.

Before he could speak up, I pinched the exposed corner of paper sticking out of the tube between my forefinger and thumb, and jerked it out in one fluid motion. It was a rolled up piece of paper, crinkled and creased from years of hiding in my sword's secret slot. I smoothed it out on the grass before me, and then turned it so the contents faced the boy.

It was an old photograph, faded to a monochromic tone but still preserved quite well because of the moisture-preventing tube so the images were very clear and intact. It was a family portrait, consisting of an older woman, an older man, three of their sons and two of their daughters. They were all smiling, arms linked as they stood in front of a beautiful sunset on a beach. The daughters crouched in the foreground, at the feet of their towering older brothers. The entire family had a head of what I assumed to be dazzling crimson hair, and the same carefree smiles. The scene was perfect to me, and this photograph was the only other thing my mother had left for me besides the forehead protector. It was my most precious keepsake; nobody, not even my father, knew it existed. It was given to me by the housemaid on her deathbed, when she revealed what my mother had entrusted to me. Prior to this morning, I had never seen that symbol anywhere else besides on my mother's forehead protector, let alone known anyone that actually had knowledge of my clan's whereabouts. My father had destroyed every scroll and book that held knowledge about my mother's clan in spite. Because I had been confined to the enclosure of the compound and only taught of my mother's origins through the housemaid, I hadn't even the slightest idea of how I would find my mother's clan. It was at that moment that I decided to disclose this secret to this complete stranger.

"This was given to me by the woman who raised my mother after she was taken from her home. She was also the housemaid who helped to raise Kaminari. It's a picture of my mother's family. All of her family were slaughtered in Uzushiogakure's destruction, except one – my mother's younger sister," I pointed at the smaller girl in the photo, posed with her arms flung around my mother's shoulders and grinning at the camera, "-was the only one to survive. She was sent to a camp set up by the Hokage in the Fire Country, and then she was taken in by a widow to live in the Hidden Leaf Village."

The boy's eyes widened even more than humanly possible, until they practically bulged out of his head. He pointed at the photo with a shaky finger.

"S-She seems familiar. Like I've seen her in my dreams before!" he exclaimed, gazing at the photo with a perplexed air. His eyebrows were pulled together in frustration as he stared at the photo.

A flicker of hope ignited in my chest. Could it be true? Was my aunt actually out there, completely unknowing of my existence?

"Please, I need to find my mother's sister. She was put under a strong genjutsu that only a member of my clan can break. I need to find her; I need to make sure she's safe and well." The desperation in my voice was adamant. I picked up the photo and got to my feet, looking at it intensely. I focused on their faces – the smiling, warm expressions of a happy family that loved each other. I wanted that. I _needed _that. The boy tilted his head at my demanding tone, and held his hand out for the photo. I handed it to him begrudgingly, and he inspected the portrait more closely.

"So you're alone without your aunt? I mean, your father sounds cruel and your clan sounds like they hate you. Your aunt could be your only family?" he sounded sad, and I noticed his fingers lingered on my mother's younger sister's face for a bit longer than the others.

I wish I were alone. It would probably have been better actually. No one could beat you mercilessly when you were alone. No one could ensure that your days were filled with nothing but hatred and agony when you were alone. No one could hurt the ones you cared about when you were alone. And more importantly; I couldn't hurt anyone else when I was alone. Living in my clan as who I am basically meant a lifetime of resentment and isolation, so I think I considered being in my family to be the same thing as what I imagined it would be like without a family.

I opened my mouth to speak, reaching out for the photo the boy was about to pass back to me, when he suddenly gasped, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth. The boy grabbed his stomach with his free hand, and I glanced down in horror at the blood-soaked sweatshirt. A blade had pierced right through his body, jutting out of his chest about two or three inches. His eyes met mine for a split second and they were filled with confusion and panic. The yellow-headed teen vanished in a cloud of smoke and making the blade clang loudly as it hit the ground. I caught sight of the familiar _X _symbol on the halter of the black ninjatō. I hesitated, and that's where I went wrong. Before I had the brain to respond, or even to move a muscle as possibly the only person who had any inkling of information about my mother's sister disappeared into thin air – _along with_ _my most precious keepsake_ _of course – _I felt a sharp pressure against my throat. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on their ends, an all too familiar feeling brought on only by one person.

"Naughty, naughty little brother. You shouldn't willingly open up to strangers like that – it's a sign of weakness. Then again, it's in your nature so I'm not surprised." A malicious chuckle echoed all around me, the sound equal to the unpleasantness one may acquire from hearing nails on a blackboard. I winced as fear flooded my thoughts, as the hatred I had for him coursed through my body inciting that dreadful feeling again. I fought against it; can you imagine what Takeshi would say if I fainted in front of him? I could just picture him slitting my throat and then carrying out my mission in my place, with a higher success rate than I will ever have, and darkness would rule. He will most likely declare to my father that I was weak and couldn't keep on track – _"I kept straying from the path"_ – as they liked to regularly state. Not like my father would care, it would have just saved him the trouble of doing it himself.

I was doing it again; I cursed myself when I felt the bubble of spite in my stomach threaten to burst. I calmed the jittering nerves and tried to distract myself from the painful dig of the sword at my throat.

"Nii-chan."

"Don't sling me with those petty titles. We only share the same father, along with many others who I've had the pleasure of never meeting. _You, Kazuya_," he spat out the words like they left a foul taste in his mouth, "I cannot say the same, since I've been stuck with your ass the moment father decided to bring your whore of a mother into the compound."

I grit my teeth. I couldn't give him an excuse to kill me, so I stood silently against his intimidation. He continued when he didn't get a verbal response.

"So I've been following you, under father's orders obviously, and I think you are straying from the path, _little brother_." His last words were dripping with contempt and I realised that he already had an excuse to kill me; he was just tossing up whether he should or not. I thought about the genjutsu type feeling I had gotten earlier, and it wasn't hard to guess who that would have been either. If that boy didn't walk past and somehow break the jutsu as soon as he did, I probably would be dead, knowing Takeshi's radical impulsivity.

"You shouldn't try looking for your lost family. It's hopeless; the Uzumaki clan have been completely exterminated. Give it up, we, the clan, are all you will ever have. That's why you will carry out your duty."

His tone had changed. It was flat, devoid of any emotion. Even his former statement held none of his usual sadistic comments that would accompany any remarks about my mother or the subject of her lost clan. Then he did the most unexpected thing; he dropped the blade from my throat and leapt back from me. I quickly activated my Byakugan and turned on my heels, drawing my katana. I faced Takeshi, prepared to search for his familiar maroon-coloured chakra, but found he had not moved at all. He stared at me intensely with this strangely passive expression, an expression I had not seen him wear before. Unfortunately, it just made my rage worst and I just couldn't take it anymore.

"I hate this clan! I always have and always will! I will never give up my dream of finding my mother's clan, and do you know why? Because any family would be better than this fucked up thing you and father think of as family!" I shouted and birds flew from the trees, scattering into the night sky.

Takeshi simply tilted his head to the side, and replied coolly, "What would you know about family, Kazuya? You, who have no mother, and only a father who sent me here to keep an eye on you because he fears your weakness will compromise our destiny. You, who killed your own sister in a mad fit, though she did foolishly get in your destructive path. The reason why the clan shun you is because you think like the enemy does – believing in love and a hopeful future of peace. That kind of thinking is what separates _you_ from _our_ family. We do what is needed of us, and whatever is necessary for the accomplishment of our goals. You follow your instinct; act solely based on your emotions and will divert from orders to pursue your own agenda, just as you did then. And don't even try to deny it – I could see what was going through your head. But no matter what you do you can't escape that hatred you have inside of you. I can tell, you know. It's consuming you, slowly but you can already feel yourself slipping away the angrier you get."

I was doing just that, and he could obviously tell from my quick intakes of air, and how I gripped my katana instinctively with clenched fists, knuckles white. Could he possibly be able to hear the erratic pounding of my heart too? I wouldn't be surprised; it was filling my ears, I could feel my conscience drifting off into the unknown with every drowning word that came out of his mouth. It was taking a hold of me, and soon I would lose myself all together.

"That's why father had told me to give you some motivation, of sorts. Something that would ensure the achievement of your mission."

My curiosity spiked and I fended off the creeping blanket of darkness. I slightly lowered my katana.

"What could father possibly have to offer me?" I growled through gritted teeth. My brother smiled shrewdly.

"What about your freedom?"

I glanced up at him in revelation, and the grip on my katana involuntarily loosened, dropping completely. The darkness that was radiating from my core, pulsing through my body with every beat of my heart, dissipated as the word sounded through my mind.

_Freedom. _

I never thought I would gain my freedom willingly. In fact, I had only imagined being free because I knew it was something that I would never be granted. Free of the clan, able to live out my life without the standard repercussions one would face if found guilty of treason. My trembling stopped and I lifted my head high, looking Takeshi straight in the eye to know if he were lying.

"And all I have to do is kill this person and bring about darkness? How can I find my family if there is nothing but darkness? It wouldn't even be worth it. Why do I have to kill this person? Why me? Why can't you do it?"

He snorted. "Even I don't know the entire truth. I do know this though – the person you seek out is just stepping stone for something bigger, something you will also play a crucial role in. If this person were to find out our true plans then there's a possibility they might try to stop us, and they will have the power to do that. That's why you are needed to eliminate any threats to our plan, and this person is just one of them. It has to be you, Kazuya, I don't know why but that's what father has told me. The change we're trying to bring about has been thousands of years in the making – it's the reason we train and push our bodies to the limit – but the darkness we speak of isn't literal, just metaphorical for world domination I think. We have to unleash what is right for the world. And we would spare you and your new family if you succeed."

I faltered. After the blonde boy had prompted me to recall all my promises to my sister and even after hearing about a possible way for me to find my family, I was set on abandoning this mission and chasing after that source. I should have known my father wouldn't trust me and would send someone to keep an eye on me. Was I really that predictable? I cursed my naivety. And now, to learn that this wasn't even the only step towards their plan, but one of many. Kaminari's words rung through my mind: _"... tested first on the nature of your soul, and if you succeed the world will be saved. But, of course, if you should fail, the earth would inevitably fall into darkness..."_

"No." I stated firmly. I wanted to believe in her words just as I did as a child. I trusted in my sister's visions, and if she thought I could be a good person, then I would try to make things right. For her – so her death wasn't in vain.

Takeshi sighed heavily. "So you've heard so much nonsense that now you're defecting from the clan huh? I don't know why you have so much life in you. You should be ashamed to even be breathing. How can you even sleep, knowing that you killed your own sister? What does it feel like to hate yourself as much as you do? You're so ridiculously weak – I'm embarrassed to even call you my blood. You don't deserve that power inside of you. It should have been given to someone with the strength to control it, to someone who isn't afraid of using it." His tone was getting increasingly heated now, and his chakra output increased with his rage.

"The gods must have a sense of humour if they think that you are capable of holding this power. I should have been the one blessed with the power, not you!"

His anger made me anxious. I was prepared for anything – I knew firsthand what Takeshi's rage could accomplish.

"Fine," Takeshi said through gritted teeth. "If you want to do this the hard way, I have no problem with that. Just remember that I did give you options, for once, and you rejected the clan's offer – so it's your loss."

My brother chuckled, and melted into the shadows of the tall oak behind him. I sensed out his chakra, but my brother was very good at hiding his trail. He was an experienced hunter, and I would have to be careful about that. Even with my Byakugan, I couldn't feel his presence. Then I heard a low growl, and shuddered, spinning on my heels at the source. Takeshi had summoned his most fearsome creature. It was a cross between a wolf and a bear, though imagine it with a demonic life force. It was over three metres tall when it stood on its hind legs, but now it simply crouched low on all fours, growling and circling me as though it were a stalking vulture, and I was its soon-to-be-dead prey. The monster probably weighed a tonne, partly due to the simple silver and leather saddle attached around its belly. The rough black fur covering its body was matted with blood and hung in dreadlocks, tangled with tiny bones. Purple wisps of violent chakra clung to its form. My brother's summoned beast lowered its massive head, red eyes glaring straight at me with bloodlust, purple lips pulling back to reveal sharp, menacing fangs dripping with green venom . Its poisonous bite would force me under a genjutsu that would make me relive my darkest moments – I knew from the intense practice sessions that were forced onto me as a child. I had been able to battle it in the past because I never thought about those times anymore; they were blocked, but now... I wasn't ecstatic to live through that experience again. Once was enough for today. I gathered my knowledge about the beast and launched an attack, slashing my chakra-infused blades at the point between the head and the shoulders, severing it in an instance. The beast simply dissolved into shadows, and the purple mist swirled around me, quickening its pace and creating a tornado consisting of the dark despair that its chakra projected. It was meant to distract you, to force you into thinking you had no chance and to give in to the gloom overcoming your emotions. It was another one of my brother's technique, where he incorporated the use of genjutsu and his natural affinity for wind to create a storm of sadness that would overwhelm your senses. With my Byakugan activated, I made three quick seals and felt my chakra pulse inside of me, and with a deep breath, I let chakra seep out of every tenketsu in my body. I spun on my heels, rotating three hundred and sixty degrees while pushing my energy outwards simultaneously. A burst of black chakra poured out of my pressure points. It willingly drove its way out, shoving against the wall of wind. But with every push, my head throbbed and my brother's beast took advantage of my emotional vulnerability. Images were forced into my head – some of the boy who I had just met, of my sister dead in my arms, of waking up amidst bodies and wreckage with no recollection. Even a few flashes of the hazy image of a woman in a blood-stained white kimono escaped, causing me to trip over my own feet in my spinning, and I fell to my knees, gripping my head, fingers tangled in clumps of my red hair, pulling hard on my temples, as though I were trying to squeeze out all of the agony from my mind.

"Arghh! Just face me already, stop playing your stupid games!" I shouted into the vast darkness, my voice lost in the fierce wind. I hated this technique because it spread out his chakra, dispersing it everywhere so I couldn't pinpoint his presence. My own chakra was flowing out on its own accord, like black oil pouring out of my skin, filling the air with dread. I suddenly remembered that it also fed off negative energy, and it was probably getting a kick out of me. I couldn't handle it; I was slipping over the edge. I had to control myself or else. I breathed in slowly, closing my eyes. If I tried to focus on the pull of my brother's chakra, I could have a chance of seeking him out. I had no other choice – if my eyes weren't working, I would have to hone on my other skills. I felt the energy inside of me reach out, seeking in the nothingness for where his chakra would be strongest, his life force. I felt it, chilling and menacing, and on the move. My eyes flew open, but I was too late. In a desperate attempt, I fuelled chakra to my hands, but he was too fast.

"Cursed Seal: Prison of Darkness!"

I knew where he was before he appeared, but he gave me little time to react. He materialised from the shadows at my feet, his maroon chakra now a flaming blood-red. I had never seen this happen before with any other technique – his energy had changed – more violent, and overwhelming. I swung my katana, but my brother simply grabbed my striking arm, stunning me with unexpected crushing strength, and pressed his palm flat against my chest. I froze immediately, as an excruciating pain shot through my body, as though I had been submerged in flames. My brother jumped back, fading into the shadows. A searing percussion came from my chest, under my black shirt, and I clawed at the source of my pain, ripping apart the material, exposing my bare chest. I gasped in horror at what I saw. In the centre of my torso was a tattoo-like mark engraved into my skin. It was a large X, with a small box in the middle where all strokes met. The design itself only took up about the space of Takeshi's palm, but as I watched, with every second the X's limbs stretched out, throbbing, covering my body in criss-cross patterns that radiated darkness and filled my body with unbearable emotions. I tried to fight the feeling, doubling over, screaming in agony, my body feeling sluggish and unresponsive.

"What did you do to me?!" I shouted through clenched teeth. Sweat dripped down my forehead as I struggled to keep myself conscious, let alone to move. It was like there was a voice in my head telling me to give up, relinquish control of my body to the darkness and all of the pain would stop. It was actually quite reassuring and gentle; lulling me to sleep with promises of a world where I could see my sister again.

"Hmm, this? Oh, just a type of juinjutsu made especially for you. It's a cursed mark that will force you into a prison inside of your mind, where you will relive every single dreadful moment of your pathetic life. Over and over again." Takeshi smiled sadistically, "that's if you survive the process and the pain of course."

I wanted to scream in rage but my voice produced no sound. I was completely paralysed now, as it secured its grip on my conscience. I had no chance – I knew what the purpose of a cursed mark was – my vision was already hazy and everything seemed so far away. The jolts of insufferable pain, like a thousand needles being injected deep into my bones, and the aching throb in my head were the only things keeping my awake, as well as my desire to know the truth.

I finally managed to get a single word out, though I struggled to make my thoughts coherent as I clashed with the strange feeling overcoming my consciousness.

"W-Why?"

"This way is just easier. It always has been decided by the clan that this was the best option for you, and for those before you. Father knew that one day we wouldn't be able to keep you in line and you'd seek your own path, so when a particular incident occurred, he decided to stamp you with a cursed mark. You know what happens with cursed marks – the victim is given a power boost of sorts due to the increase of energy put into your body, yet can also be brought under the user's control. But yours is different; it has been passed down for generations, just waiting to reach you. I thought father was feeling particularly cruel when he told me to use _this _technique on you. Orochimaru's Gedō Seal is an adaptation of this technique, which seals your kekkei genkai and causes blinding pain, until you are completely under its hold. Then you are forced deep into your subconscious, and put under the caster's power. But this is the original version, created especially to contain your power! It has been used millennia after millennia to control those who have diverted from their paths, and have been essential in our success. This mark will not force you under father's control, but instead it will unleash your naturally dark chakra, forcing you into a subliminal state where you will be drowned in agony by your memories. You will become a killing machine, like all those other times, only you won't stop until your objective is complete; pending father's permission of course. Your true nature will come out, and you won't be able to hide it or fight it anymore because the cursed mark feeds off your negative energy. It might have been difficult to control your powers before, and even after your sixteenth birthday you still, incredibly, were able to fend off the darkness which was threatening to consume you. I saw you – hell, I almost got a bit close to your destruction. The way you make that chakra move... how it reduces your surroundings to ashes. It's amazing. Too bad it was wasted on you..."

His words were being lost on me now; I was floating away, as my mind drifted in and out of awareness. My eyelids were heavy, as though they were made of lead, but I didn't fight it.

"N-no… I don't want… to… hurt… anyone…" My brain was foggy now, senses shrouded in thick, heavy mist that felt like slime; gooey, dripping all over my thoughts – smothering me to sleep. I was drowning now, but I forced my eyes open just once more. Although it was hazy, I could still see the glow of the stars past the crack in the canopy.

"That's the best thing about this cursed mark – you won't have a choice."

And with that, I lost the battle with my consciousness, and immersed completely into the darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! Chapter 8 :) I had been working on this chapter for aaages, and had actually had most of it completed before the seventh chapter came out, but there were still elements I needed to include. Thoughts? <strong>


	9. Chapter Eight

I leaned against the hard rock, sighing heavily because it was so uncomfortable and the sharp rocks poking my back wouldn't let my mind concentrate on the Icha Icha book in my gloved hands. I much rather preferred the hard trunks of the trees in the Fire Country. At least they didn't prod my behind. My sigh was lost in the vast openness of the desert, like a whisper in the wind. Where we had decided to camp would not have been my first choice, but Temari-san had said that this would be the most cover we would probably get since we had just crossed over the border, and she knew this barren smooth sea of sand far better than I did so I trusted her judgement. The circle of tall crumbling rock pillars would keep us sheltered from the vicious winds, and the hard clay ground had not yet converted to sand so it was much more suitable than sleeping in sand that got in your clothes and mouth overnight, so we thanked her, appreciating her consideration. She said that it was no problem; she was in debt to us for telling her what had happened to Gaara – if they hadn't of seen her, she probably would have taken her time going home. She laughed timidly after that, disclosing her plans to stop at the hot springs on the way out. I knew she felt horrible, and I could tell Sakura and Naruto were feeling upset as well for her because they knew what it was like to lose a friend, and also worried for Gaara. Especially Naruto. He wouldn't talk to anyone, and if that wasn't strange enough, when he opened his mouth to affirm quietly that he didn't want to stop, that they should keep going if they were to catch up to Gaara. I told him that it would be no use to go on in the night; we'd probably lose our bearings I lied, knowing full well that Temari was capable of finding her way home day or night. Naruto looked as though he wanted to argue, but gave up quickly once Sakura placed a hand on his arm and said that we didn't all have the same chakra reserves that he did. He said he'd take the first watch after dinner once we had all eaten, disrupting the eerie silence as everyone chewed wordlessly, the unanswered questions blazing like the bright spits of ashes floating in the air, as loud as the embers that cracked about in the fire. Naruto hadn't touched his ramen at all, but he discarded it and went to sit on the top of a high pillar above the campsite. We all took that as our cue to get ready for bed even though the sun was still high in the sky. I relieved Naruto of his watch a few hours after, and told him to get some rest. He obliged mutely, stepping off the edge without a word.

Now, alone with my book, which is all I had wanted, I was assaulted by paranoia. It was abnormally quiet; a calm, dead silence had settled over the night. Not a mouse scurried away from a snake intending to make it its prey, or did an insect come to investigate the light glow from our dying fire, now reduced to cinders that matched Naruto's orange tracksuit. Not even the wind moved. It gave me chills, and instinctively I lifted the left side of my headband that covered the scar running straight down my eye, activating my sharingan. I glanced around and saw the two sleeping forms of Temari and Sakura. I nodded, and then looked for the third body. Naruto slept around the corner, slumped against a rock pillar with his arms folded in front of him. Seeing no immediate threat, I deactivated my sharing, and returned to my book, trying to not let the rock distract me now. I sighed again; I really hated the geography of other countries.

Suddenly a loud, pained scream emanated from behind a rock pillar, and I put away my book, rushing to where Naruto was. I caught sight of him, sharingan searching for an attacker in the shadows, someone hiding behind one of the many rocks scattered around us. When I found no one I turned to Naruto to see if he was hurt. He was writhing as though he were in pain, trembling. He was mumbling slurred words as though he were awake but his eyes wouldn't open. His left fist curled into a ball tightly, and my eyes widened at the red shroud surrounding his hand, beginning to spread all over his body. I panicked at the sight of the seeping chakra and Naruto's convulsing body. I grabbed Naruto's hand and mixed my spiritual and physical energy until it reached the right ratio, then changed the nature quickly as I fed it into his slack form. An electric spark went through Naruto's body and he immediately jolted awake with a gasp, eyes flew open, momentarily mirroring the Kyuubi's. I was afraid that I had done something to weaken the seal, but was reassured when his familiar blue eyes returned and the red tint receded, slits changing back to pupils. That was short-lived, once I saw the troubled, anxious gleam in his eyes that he got when he was bothered about someone. I guess he caught up to the shady character in the tea shop. I smiled inwardly – I knew it would be best for Naruto to send his shadow clone. Even if he had attacked Naruto using his mysteriously acquired byakugan, the orange ninja knew better than any of us how it felt to fight a Hyuuga and what would work best.

"Naruto, I suppose your shadow clone has returned to you. About time, too," I said slowly, gauging his reaction. The boy sat up fast, and in the dull light of the moon sweat gleamed off his face and neck; he looked frighteningly alarmed, and for some reason my mind thought of him transforming into the fox form. His head swerved around to take in all of his surroundings, feeling the ground beneath him, as though he thought he was having a dream and had to make sure it was real.

"Kakashi-sensei, the boy… h-he… he's in trouble! We have to help him!" Naruto frantically pushed himself up and I shook my head, placing my hand steadily on his shoulder to keep him where he was.

"We can't, we're already on a mission, remember?" I raised my eyebrows at Naruto. He swore loudly and thumped his hand on the ground, slightly cracking it.

"Shit, that's right. Gaara." He had fully returned to normal now, and I thought it was safe to ask what my curiosity and concern were begging me to ask.

"What happened, Naruto?" I attempted cautiously, as though I were creeping through the enemies camp. I had a million different scenarios in my head, but in none of them did Naruto extend his hand and offer me an old photograph, a little faded around the edges but in near perfect condition, with a picture of his mother on it as a child surrounded by a family that appeared to be hers. I stared at the photograph in disbelief, falling from a crouch next to Naruto, who sat up and pulled his legs up to his chest, hanging his head between his knees.

After a long period of speechlessness from me, not knowing what to say at all, Naruto's voice broke the sound void.

"He's like me, sensei. He is… special, like me. We've shared the same experiences; he understands my feelings, he knows what it's like to be a monster. And I can't even begin to imagine some of the things-" he cut himself off abruptly, shaking his golden head. "But he has had everything taken from him, and he doesn't have friends like I do. I'm sure he was born with his eyes, but wasn't taught how to use it because it seems no one besides him in his clan has the byakugan, I think. He gave me an odd feeling, Kakashi, not a bad feeling but a good one, ya know? That girl in the picture… I feel like I know her; why? Do you know her Kakashi-sensei?" he fired a million questions at me at once but I was glad he was telling me all of this. It was obviously upsetting him, and he was already an emotional wreck from Gaara being taken by the Akatsuki.

I opened my mouth to speak, but my eyes only lingered on the monochromic photograph. Naruto leans in closer and points to the older girl next to the youngest daughter on the sand, arms flung around each other and grinning mischievously at the camera.

"That's the boy's mother. She's the younger girl's sister, and they're all a family. He said his mom was from the Uzumaki clan that came from the Land of Whirlpools. I don't know much about my family history, hell; I don't even know who my parents are – no photos or other family – not even their names. But my name, Uzumaki Naruto, proves that I do have a family, a clan somewhere, and while I love Konoha more than anything… it kills me think about the fact that I don't even know my mom's name, or where she came from."

I closed my dropped jaw, my mouth very dry from the desert air and onslaught of guilt washing over me, like I had just been caught in a flood without a paddle. I had not prepared for this at all. It wasn't up to me to tell Naruto who his mother and father were. That was sworn a secret the day he was born, when Kushina and Minato-sensei sacrificed their lives to seal away the Nine Tails that rampaged through our village, destroying the landscape with a flick of its tail, killing hundreds with a swipe of its claws. They sacrificed everything for this boy, even his own happiness. Minato and Kushina knew the moment Naruto was known as the Jinchuuriki of beast that levelled Konoha, that his life would be a living hell. I thought about all the hundreds of times I had witnessed Naruto being attacked by the villagers as he walked past – it ranged from them simply sneering, eyes full of hatred while spitting at him he wasn't welcome in their shops and stalls, or tripping him up in the street, to actually physically attacking him violently. And it wasn't just the villagers either, but shinobi, too. I remember one morning, I was on my way to the academy – the first morning I was to formally meet Team 7. Walking past an alleyway, I heard screams, pleas for help, and pausing to see what the trouble was, I saw a circle of shinobi, some chuunin and jounin I recognized. They were all thrashing around, kicking a figure in the middle. It was dark in the alleyway, but I remember seeing that familiar bright orange and flash of yellow. I yelled at them to stop and they simply looked up at me and smiled, continuing to kick the boy a few more times before turning away and strolling past me, bumping their shoulders against mine hard. I remember one of them, Gorou, a younger chuunin, grinned arrogantly, tipping his head, and addressing me. _"He deserves it, you know. It's his fault my father is dead, and why my mother won't stop drowning herself in sake. He should die. I can't believe the Hokage is letting him become a genin. And even worst, you're teaching him. Kakashi Hatake, the comrade killer. Let's hope we don't have another demon attack on our hands, eh senpai?" _I just stood there, while he walked off, and then went to check on Naruto. Bruises were already forming on every visible part of his body, and blood covered the side of his head where it looked as though it would need stitches, like he had been knocked unconscious by the impact with the rocky ground and was then beaten despite already being out cold. His lip was swelling and blood covered his face from his cracked nose. I was worried enough to take him to the hospital, before I saw right before my eyes the skin on his face slowly repairing itself. I sighed in relief and thanked the healing powers of the beast, then leapt off when he began to stir, leaving a small flask of water and a small square piece of ripped material from the bandage around my shin.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto's voice rang in my ears and I snapped back to reality, eyes focusing on his face. He looked so much like his father – I'm not sure how no one else had picked up on this uncanny resemblance as it was just staring them in the face. Well, actually, now that I think about it, the blonde hair was the dominant trait. But his eyes… they were like hers. Kushina was always mischievous and that excited, colourful attitude was definitely inherited in her son. Just seeing that pained look in his usually lively blue eyes made my resolve falter because it dampened the hope that I like to think I helped put there. What he was telling me now, sounded unbelievable, unrealistic, as though it were a dream fulfilled by kami for Naruto's resilient nature.

The boy from the teashop – he was a very strange and shady character that was true, but definitely interesting. I wasn't able to get a proper look of him, but my time in the ANBU wasn't for nothing. Taller than Naruto though possibly the same age and built like an agile user of taijutsu, with a head of messy crimson hair that swept to one side out of his pupil-less pearl eyes and jutted out in every direction. At first glance the boy looked like a frightened spirit. His features were perfectly symmetrical, a face that could have been carved from marble, sharp and defined, but he looked horrible, deathly. His unnaturally pale skin had a strong olive undertone and had a thin sheen of sweat coating his forehead, and his expression was one of alarm, opal eyes shrouded with so many unreadable mysteries that not even my sharingan could decipher, as though I were hunting on a bank where the morning fog clung to the deep river, obscuring all from sight. I knew about the fall of the Land of Whirlpools, and that there were others from his clan out there, strewn all throughout the shinobi world, but what Naruto was implying was simply outrageous. My mind sorted out all of the possibilities – a trick by Akatsuki to capture the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki? A prank by some kids from the village? Yeah, of course – Konohamaru would do anything to challenge his rival. No, there was no way in hell anyone else besides the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, the old council geezers, and a few others such as Iruka and some jounin who were there that night knew that Minato and Kushina were married in secrecy, so the Fourth could protect his family from his enemies. Everyone knew Kushina – the loud-mouth Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails, another Uzumaki from that horrible, horrible slaughter that blew their clan to the wind, scattering them like the clouds over the world. Everyone knew she was his mother, because she was the only Uzumaki in Konoha, and I'm sure that only added to their contempt for her son when it became known to everyone that he was the container that held the beast that everyone feared. Or… gods forbid… was it the truth?

With unsteady hands I smoothed my thumb over the picture. It wasn't a fake, I was sure of that. And it was definitely a younger version of the Kushina I knew –the same devilish grin as Naruto. I glanced up at the nervous teen, anticipating my slow answer. I was feeling the pressure – it was making the palms of my hands sweat, like the truth was pouring out of my tenketsu, his saddened gaze was making my heart ache as I saw the same lost look that I wore as a child when I thought about my mother - a look you see in almost every child who did not get to know their parents. I knew it wasn't my place to tell him, so I lied, my voice coming out flat and surprisingly emotionless.

"I don't know who these women are. I have no idea who your mother or father was; all I'm aware of is that they died the day you were born. The Fourth sealed away the Kyuubi in you because that was what they wanted. They were older than me – I was only thirteen when the Kyuubi attack happened and even then all younger shinobi were made to help with evacuating citizens, as they would today. I'm sorry Naruto. It's something you'll have to find out on your own."

The way it flowed pass my lips sounded flawless and smooth, another skill I could owe to my years in the ANBU. Lying was easy, but the effects were devastating. The angelic boy's face dropped, colour draining until he looked more like a lifeless doll. The boy whose hope was just a moment ago in my hands – I could have delivered news that would have changed his life, yet instead I chose to crush it. It was for all the right reasons – I didn't know enough about the situation and what this new intel presented for the village, so making a decision without notifying the Hokage about the boy's claims first would be equal to offering up my head on a silver platter. Naruto wasn't in the right place right now to know this – the immediate threat being Gaara's capture by Akatsuki, who he knew were after him and gladly welcomed it – as long as it brought him one step closer to his goal of finding Orochimaru or Uchiha Itachi, and thus, closer to bringing back his friend. Not to mention his already building lists of promises ever since he returned – to pay all of his old tabs at Ichiraku with his new higher rank missions he would be getting now, becoming a chuunin, teaching Konohamaru how to do the new sexy jutsu he learnt, something I wouldn't mind seeing, just for, uh, jounin approval. Oh, and we can't forget the promise he made to innocent Hinata, to help her find this mystery girl and make sure she was safe.

"Okay Kakashi-sensei. I get it; my parents didn't love me, because if they did then they wouldn't have allowed for this beast to be put inside of me. I understand, but I just want to know why they did this, and if I can't know that then to know who they were at least. Maybe then I could see why they would do this to me willingly." His voice was shaky and sounded as though he were on the verge of tears, though I didn't dare peep encase he saw the guilt glazed over my eyes like honey. My smooth mask wavered for a second as my mind registered his words in astonishment. I had heard those exact sentences before – vague as it might seem, that I would remember those familiar words from another conversation I had partook in before. It was the emotion behind those words – a strong desperate determination – which reminded me where I had heard that declaration before.

_I crouched low on the wooden railing, my shinobi attire blending in with the bleak darkness, sleet pelting down hard as it pierced my purple skin, beating ceaselessly, rhythmically, so it was easier for me to forget that I had been in that same position; soles flat, back hunched, for the past twelve hours since my superior had requested my presence here at the annoying time of 7am. I shivered, peering through the thick grey clouds that had sheathed the village overnight. The sudden drop in temperature suggested that snow could be on the way, despite it being only the beginning of October, halfway through autumn. It was strange because prior to last night, the weather had been perfectly fine, a crisp breeze occasionally but nothing as bad as what had rolled in last night, beginning with soft shower and escalating quickly this morning when we woke to the blackened sky blocking out the sun, making it appear as though it were night. The whole village had retreated indoors, boarded up shops and were warned to secure anything that wasn't bolted down. Everyone around Konoha was probably in their lounges drinking wonderfully warm tea around a hot fire, wrapped up with their families. Then there was the woman I was protecting, waiting anxiously for her husband to return home from the hours and hours of paperwork he was probably buried underneath right at this moment. I sighed drearily as thunder rumbled and suddenly lightning struck wires dangerously close to where I was stationed. _

"_At least the Hokage has the luxury of being inside." I mumbled to myself. I knew that a ninja had to endure, but I was cold and hungry, and if I didn't watch out there was the possibility of getting struck right in the forehead – I was mulling over removing my headband when I heard a soft cry come from the window below me, on the balcony where the front door was. Alarmed, I immediately jumped down on to the slippery platform and unsheathed a kunai. I glanced cautiously through the window, where the curtains were drawn back to reveal a kitchen that latched on to a living room, brightly lit against the blurring world. An attacker wouldn't have been able to get past my activated sharingan – I would have sensed them. A thought popped into my head regarding the heavily pregnant and almost due woman that I was watching over, and I grimaced at the prospect of having to carry the Hokage's secret wife in the rain who had suddenly gone into labour, indicating the arrival of their new born son. I peered into the window with this possibility in mind, and saw the one nicknamed "Red-Hot Habanero" leaning over the counter in her kitchen with her back turned to me. From what I could tell she was clutching her bulging stomach, round like a balloon, and taking exaggerated deep breaths. _

"_Ahhh!" the red-haired kunoichi who I had heard Minato-sensei describe to his fellow genin leaders in his earlier years of dating her, as the fiercest, most fearsome person he had ever met, was doubling over in pain as she silently cussed her husband for doing this to her. Then she took a deep breath and straightened up, turning around to face me. I thought her face would resemble her voice – grumpy, annoyed by her current physical state, but instead a loving smile adorned her face, eyes focused on where her hands gently rest on the mould, protectively and attentively. _

"_You little knucklehead. I bet you are enjoying giving your mom hell like this." She laughed feebly, but still had to suck in a few more sharp breaths to bear the pain. I thought it was incredible – men would never be able to experience endurance like that. I gawked unintentionally, and lightning flashed again, the unexpected explosion of noise causing me to jump slightly. When I glanced back to the woman I was supposed to be protecting I saw she had disappeared. Confusion muddled my thoughts and I was just about to leap back to the roof when I heard the front door open behind me. _

"_Kakashi?" a weak but curious voice sounded out over the pulsing rain. I swore inwardly – I had revealed my cover. I turned hesitantly and bowed deeply. _

"_Kushina-sama, I am very sorry to have bothered you. I will leave now." _

"_No, just hold on a minute." Her voice came louder this time; taking on the same firm tone I had heard her address our Hokage in before. I immediately froze in my half-crouch and swiftly spun on my heels to face the older kunoichi. She was very beautiful, in a very obvious way. Long thick locks of straight cherry-red hair flowed down her slim shoulders like scarlet waterfalls. I had thought her hair was strange when Minato-sensei first introduced Rin, Obito and I to her when she came to drop off his kunai he had forgotten. But Rin had gasped when she saw her head full of red and complimented her straightaway, earning a shy blush from the older kunoichi. Later, when we were alone with our teacher, she asked if he would marry the kunoichi with the beautiful hair. His blush was even redder than his lover's hair! He said he definitely wanted to and thought her hair was absolutely beautiful too. Rin was overjoyed by this news, while Obito and I were busy throwing up in our mouths. Then Rin said she wished her hair was the same colour, because brown was boring and not as striking as red. I remember Obito piping up loudly and exclaiming how she could have any hair colour in the world and she still wouldn't be as beautiful as she was right now. Minato and I laughed when both of their cheeks reddened. It was definitely one of the happier moments that we had as a team. Especially with Obito and Rin. Rin… _

"_Minato has been making you watch over me, I know he has because I'm able to sense you when I want to. I haven't said anything because I know how worried he gets, even though I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. However, I will not allow you to stand out here in this awful weather just to babysit a pregnant Jinchuuriki." Kushina-sama had her hands on both hips, with a scolding look aimed directly at me. I did not waver – I knew my mission. Her mentioning her status as a Jinchuuriki only furthered my resolve; I knew it was essential she was watched over during her most vulnerable time, and that task had been assigned to me. I put on a steely look beneath my mask, preparing to reactivate my sharingan. _

"_I cannot leeave. I must look after you – those are the Yondaime's orders." _

_She huffed, mumbling to herself. "Pfft. Minato that big-headed asshole… I think he's forgotten who _really _wears the pant in this relationship…" _

_Then she turned her attention to me and a warm smile graced her face. "I'm not insisting you leave. That would be rude of me, and although I don't need to be watched over, I wouldn't mind company right now. It gets awfully lonely, ya know?" _

_My body became rigid at her implication. The Hokage's wife wanted to… entertain me as a guest in their home? I reached up and scratched the back of my soaked head uncertainly. _

"_Um… I'm not sure I should." I replied awkwardly. I had spent the last eight months secretly spying on the lady and keeping an eye on her while she went about her daily business, but when it came to a request like this, it was as though she had asked me to grow a third eye on the spot. _

"_Nonsense. I just put on the pot for tea, and I have some cookies baking in the oven. I made them for Minato, but who knows when he'll be home." The scarlet women's gaze dropped to the floor and sympathy washed over me, filtered in the harsh, thick droplets pelting against my freezing skin. _

_I shivered involuntarily, and lighting struck close by. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to get out of this storm for a bit." _

_Immediately her face lit up and she clapped her hands together. "Great! Come in, come in!" She waved me inside, and I hesitantly crept pass her, poking my head through the front door before, eyes darting left and right before I took the courage to step into the foyer, where shoes were lined up in a neat row. I removed my water-trodden sandals and slid my feet into the dry slippers, cautiously following the shinobi into her kitchen and living room. Steam blew out of the kettle on the stove in a high whistle, where the pregnant woman quickly rushed to it and removed it from the red hot plate, placing it on a wooden board. _

"_Please, sit down." She gestured to the couches in the smaller living room, but I was still tentative. Her home was warm and just that – a home. Framed pictures of Minato-sensei and Kushina decorated walls, shelves and bookcases, as well as some with their friends, and I even paused when I noticed a familiar photograph staring back at me. It was the team photo of all of us. My heart dropped when my blank eyes took in Rin's eyes closed grin, and met Obito's goggled determined glare. Like he was reprimanding me for not looking after her. I turned away in guilt, not wanting the memories to resurface again, but was met with the woman's bearing gaze, as she balanced the pot and a few cups on a tray. She put the items down on the wooden coffee table and rushed out of the room quite suddenly, returning shortly with a towel that she passed to me. I thanked her and dried my hair with the towel, removing my mask. A sweet smell wafted up into my nose and made my mouth water. Once I had finished drying my hair until it stuck up in lengthy spikes, I dove into the cookies set before me. _

_The kunoichi just laughed at my enthusiasm, and grinned at my approving "mmmm" as the soft dough melted in my mouth, warm and sweet. _

"_These are so delicious! Thank you so much, Kushina-sama." I bowed deeply in my chair across from her once I had swallowed the last of the batch. The young woman leaned back in her chair with her arms in front of her, resting on her massive belly, smiling at me. _

"_You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed them. I've had so much time to myself lately, since I'm not allowed to leave the house much nowadays, that I spend all day baking for Minato, and I think it's gotten to the point where he only eats them to make me happy." _

"_Ah, yes I've noticed our Hokage growing a bit bigger around the waist." I joked, a closed eye grin forming on my covered face. She laughed in return. _

"_Guilty as charged. Hokage…" she gazed off into space, forgetting my presence. Silence filled the room, so I poured myself a cup of the warm green-tinted liquid to ease tension, and then some more in the other cup as well. _

_I glanced around the walls again, peering from frame to frame. I stood with my cup in my hands and inspected a picture on the wall closest to me. It was a young girl with bright red hair, looking sullen as she stood next to a woman with a darker shade of burnt scarlet locks. The younger child I presumed was Kushina, but the other woman appeared to be quite old. I didn't know much about Kushina, so I naturally assumed it was her relative. _

"_Is this your mother?" I asked curiously, pointing to the picture while jerking my head in her direction. _

_It was as though my voice had snapped her out of a sort of trance, the sound bringing her back to now. Her expression was one of daze, as she lifted her gaze to look where I was motioning. Once she saw the photo she frowned. _

"_No, that's Uzumaki Mito. She was the First Hokage's wife." _

"_Oh, yeah I remember learning about her. She's so…" I trailed off, trying to find the most appropriate word to describe her. _

"_Old?" a giggle erupted from the older shinobi and it was contagious. I soon found myself grinning too. I nodded. The First Hokage's time had been years ago, even before my father's. He would have died at least seventy, eighty years ago, while still in his mid-twenties or early thirties. I had heard the stories – after the Senju defeated the Uchiha, Mito sealed the Kyuubi inside of herself, becoming the first Jinchuuriki for the beast. _

"_Yeah, she was very old, even when I met her. She was like a mother to me, or a grandmother. In fact, I spent a lot of time with her eldest granddaughter, Tsunade, before she left the village after the death of her grandmother and the outbreak of the Third Shinobi War." _

"_How did you meet her?" abruptly came out of my mouth before I could stop it. It was rude of me to be so nosey, but I was genuinely interested in knowing. _

"_Well I met her one day when she came to the camp I had been living in. It was a refugee camp, for the survivors of a horrible battle that destroyed the home of our clan." _

"_Your home?" I asked, confused. Odd, I would have thought she had lived in Konoha her whole life – Minato-sensei certainly had given that impression when he told us of their relationship as children in the Academy. Apparently, she had declared she would be the Hokage on her first day there. _

"_Yeah, my home. The Land of Whirlpools, where all Uzumaki clan members originate from. It was destroyed when I was five – so about sixteen years ago." Her face had taken on a troubled air, like she was struggling to remember something. The wind howled like the kami were wailing in heaven, voices booming down in loud thunderous claps of lightning that echoed all over the Fire Country. It would have been distracting, but I was absorbed in what she was saying. I felt sorry for her – even I had warm memories of my father and me before he took his own life. My mother had died shortly after having me, but my father made it up by spending plenty of time with me when he returned from his duty to his village; training mostly and hunting every so often when he would return from a long mission. I was alone a lot of the time, but I guess it taught me how to look after myself. Prepared me for the inevitable fate every single child or grandchild of shinobi suffers from. _

"_Oh – I'm sorry. I didn't mean to probe, or make you feel sad in any way. " _

"_No, it's fine. I don't actually remember any of it, surprisingly. You'd think I would, but every time I try to remember what happened I just come up blank." Her tone was growing increasingly distressed. _

_I wanted to keep my mouth shut but for some reason questions just kept emptying out of my mouth._

"_What about your family?" _

"_Hmm?" _

"_Your family… like your mother or father? Or sisters or brothers?" I felt insensitive for asking, but I wanted to know why such a girl would be chosen to be the Jinchuuriki for the Nine Tails. By the first Jinchuuriki of the beast, no less. _

"_I… I think they died." Her voice was full of anxiety and worry, and I feared my questions were getting a bit too much for her to handle. _

"_I really shouldn't ask so many questions. Forgive me, I will stop now." _

"_Please, it's fine really. It's just…" she took a deep shaky breath, "something that I don't like talking about, because every time I think about it, I come up short. I can't remember a single thing – not my mother's face, or my father's voice. I don't even remember their names, dattebane?" She laughed nervously, and then rambled on quickly, eyes permanently fixed to her hands, which now were curled into taut fists. "I know that I was from the Land of Whirlpools and that I belong to the Uzumaki clan, and that my entire family died during the destruction of our village, but I don't remember any of it. Not my life before the incident or how I survived it at all." _

_I stared at her in disbelief. Not remembering something like that was very peculiar. I could have shrugged it off, her not remembering her life beforehand or what happened, I could have even reasoned with myself that it was due to her older age now – people tend to forget their childhood. But my experience made me believe otherwise. I had met others who were like her; victims of the devastation war caused who had lost their families and were alone too. I found they all had one thing in common – those who had been at the age where they could talk when the tragedy struck had an impeccable memory when it came to their situation – the disaster was imprinted in their minds forever, and they could recall details of the event even years later. At the age of five she should have been able to recount every single detail, I'm sure of it. _

"_You don't remember a thing? How did you end up at the refugee camp then?" I questioned probingly, leaning in to hear her reply. _

"_I… I don't know. They said that one day they just found me unconscious, bruised and malnourished but alive, outside of the temporary barriers they had set up around the camp on the coast of our island. It was a small camp; there were very little survivors, ya know, set up by the Third Hokage as he felt guilty for letting Konoha's most trusted ally fall to the wrath of envy and fear. No one knew how I had gotten there, or how I had even survived, since less than five percent of our population actually lived to tell the tale. I was treated by many medical-nin, but they found nothing wrong with me, and finally concluded I had amnesia." _

"_Amnesia?" I repeated doubtfully. "What happened after that? Did they find out which village destroyed your home? Did your clan ever rebuild?" _

"_The camp moved again to the mainland after a few months, turning into a temporary village, and the Hokage kept it open for a few years while the homeless Uzumaki clan struggled to regain their strength. However, dispute broke out between who was left of our clan and Konoha officials. They said that the Hokage wasn't doing enough to find out who was responsible for the killing of innocents, even though he had held many meetings with the Kazekage, Raikage, Mizukage, and Tsuchikage. It had been only five years after the Second Shinobi War had passed, and it seemed that we had finally reached a state of stability and peace under the Third's reign. But then with the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools they all said the same – it had nothing to do with their village, pointing fingers at another nation, who would swell up and yell back that it wasn't their doing either. In fact, Mito-san told me that many had actually signed peace treaties with the Uzumaki clan – something they would never do with Konoha willingly – and were even sympathetic enough to take in some of the refugees after our downfall. Our clan excelled in creating bonds you see – we had married into other clans to strengthen relationships, like we did with Konoha, and our trademark genetic red-hair is always prominent here and there, a symbol of our armistice with other nations. Normally, treaties were nothing more than a piece of paper with scribbled on empty promises, but the Uzumaki changed that. From what Mito-san told me, the Uzumaki clan were very skilled in tactics, highly intelligent and held the most knowledge in fuinjutsu than any other clan in the shinobi world. They found a way to force the Five Kage and other main villages and clans to cooperate and abide by the rules of a treaty, indefinitely. They created a sealing treaty, where both parties would ask their leaders, the clan head, Daimyo, or Kage for instance, to draw blood using a special kunai and sign their names in the blood of the other party's leader. The jutsu they placed on the scroll beforehand would activate and seal in the chakra of these leaders through the chakra-concentrated blood drawn out by the kunai, but because they wrote in the other party's blood, it would bond together the two highest members of the clan and link their energy. By linking their chakra it would mean that if either party tried to attack the other or even tried defying the rules of peace, the seal would activate and destroy the guilty party's leader. That's why Uzushiogakure wasn't fortified heavily apparently - we were feared and respected by all villages, and had this peace treaty in place with many, so the elders saw no need for much protection. Who would be stupid enough to attack us? That's what they thought. It was that arrogant way of thinking that led to our stealthy end. From what I've heard, most were wiped out overnight by the first attack, and the second one came only a few hours after a messenger was sent to Konoha to deliver the urgent request for assistance after all of their attempts at communication with the Leaf and other allies had failed. The Hidden Leaf sent many teams to help, but it was too late. It was a week later that I turned up on the coast where the camp was set up. I first met Tsunade-sama there, who was in charge of running the medical unit, though she never actually healed anyone and would always rush out of the tent as soon as the metallic scent of blood overwhelmed her senses. I was brought to her for examination, and she said it was strange that I knew my name and how old I was, despite having no memories of anything else. Many others didn't even have that it seemed – a lot of people I met and talked to had no memories whatsoever of the attack. These people were villagers, or small children of clan members. But our shinobi were the complete opposite – they had gone crazy, insane because of the attack, thrashing around when a medic would try to ask their account of the attack, and yelling about shadows rising up from the ground and slaughtering their families. Many ended up committing suicide, while others simply faded away from reality, bleak and unresponsive. They were the only source of information of the attack, unreliable as it may have been. Any knowledge of who was responsible – what they looked like, what village they were from, had been lost the day our great clan fell. It was what everyone eventually accepted when they finally closed the refugee camp, three years after the disaster. Other villages had graciously welcomed the drifting souls; whether it was out of the kindness of their heart, or simply to gain the great fuinjutsu powers of our clan is still questioned. Our numbers dwindled over the years, the friends I made moved away without even a goodbye, until it was just me left. Tsunade then brought someone with her to visit me on the day they closed the camp. My first thought was that she was very old, though she didn't look fragile. The next was how similar our red hair was. She told me that she wanted me to return to her village, to Konoha, so I could be the next Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. I was shocked naturally, not because of her proposition for me to become a Jinchuuriki, but because she said she would give me a home. It was what I had wanted so desperately – a home; a family; a place to call my village. The camp could hardly be considered that, with fights and arguments occurring between our clan members on a daily basis. The war had not only destroyed our clan, but our sense of family. With no previous memories of our unity, we only had one thing in common; the name Uzumaki. That's why there have been no attempts at rebuilding our once great clan – we are too broken now." She said the last part remorsefully. _

_I sat there for a while, silence hung thick in the air around me, constricting my ability to speak or even move. All I could do was think, mind racing with questions. _

_I began slowly. "So you became the Jinchuuriki of the beast," she nodded, "and Konoha became your home." _

_A soft smile tugged at her lips at the statement. "Yes, the Hidden Leaf village became my home, but I didn't like it straight away. When I first came here, I was treated differently because of the way I was – people called me Tomato – they knew of what had become of my clan, and that I was living with the oldest living member of the Uzumaki clan, the Jinchuuriki of the beast. They were really mean about it sometimes, too. I would beat them up, but it was… hard, being alone. Mito-sama was nice and she treated me the same way she would treat her own granddaughter, but I was very… sad. At twelve I became the Jinchuuriki after Mito-sama passed, and suddenly the teasing turned to threats and people treating me harshly, shunning my presence and ignoring my actions. I knew the fate of Jinchuuriki, but I never imagined it would lead to me being kidnapped while my fellow peers watched on at the park, not doing anything to stop the brute men from taking me away. It was Minato who saved me, and told me he thought my hair was beautiful. I loved Konoha from that day on; I changed my fate, and became a shinobi who protected the Hidden Leaf as though it were my own village."_

_She smiled warmly, and I knew her love for Minato-sensei and Konoha were genuine from the passion in her words, the adoration for her husband and home shining through them, but I could still tell something was bothering the kunoichi by the way the light didn't reach her eyes. _

"_Did you ever find out what happened to your family?" _

_She shook her head softly, red strands floating around her pale face. "No, never. Tsunade told me years later that there was the possibility that my family blocked my memories for some reason with a sort of seal and that would explain why I was able to recall certain things like my name, age, birthday and information about myself." _

"_Why? Why would they do that?!"_

_After a long pause, she spoke again, but her voice was thick with tears. _

"_I honestly don't know. I have read all of the remaining documents of my clan's fabled fuinjutsu that Mito-sama gave to me when she passed over and over a hundred times, but none of them even mention a seal that is able to seal memories!" the frustration was tearing into her impeccable composure; her voice cracked as she continued, tears now flowing freely from her violet eyes. "I just want to know why they did this! If I can't know that then to know who they were at least. Maybe then I could see why they would do this to me, why they would just put me in the dark for." _

_I didn't know what I could say or do to make her feel better. I cursed myself for asking too many obviously sensitive questions, and was thinking of ways I could redeem myself when I heard a quiet chuckle. I turned to the woman, who was amazingly, grinning, though the rivers continued to pour down her face. _

"_I-I feel so-so silly. I blame these d-damn hormones." Another chuckled came from her sobbing form, louder this time. She then straightened up and with two swift swipes at her red face, she looked me straight in the eye and grinned, brighter and I knew that it wasn't forced at all. The kunoichi's smiles were never forced. They were honest, like she was putting all of her strength behind that single show of assertiveness. _

"_I shouldn't be blabbing on about my past. What happened sixteen years ago is behind me. It still hurts to know that I'll never know the truth, but I have my whole life ahead of me to figure that out, if I want to. There was a time where I would have died to find out just what had occurred that night, to answer all of my unanswered questions, but now… I'm comfortable just being where I am in this instance. I am married to the man of my dreams; I have friends; I have a village that I can call home and where my son will call home, too. That's more than I ever asked for. The one thing that I can do to make up for that gift is to ensure my son grows up not knowing what it feels like to be alone, to feel as though he isn't loved by his mother. I may never know who my parents were, but I'll be damned to hell if my son doesn't know who his mother and father are." _

I exhaled loudly and patted his shoulders in an awkward manner, getting to my feet. I stood, back facing him, as I put as much coldness and carelessness in to my voice as possible.

"I am truly sorry Naruto, but I can't help you. I don't think anyone can help you."

I forced the shame rising in my throat back down as it threatened to spill out the truth. It was only a week later that Madara Uchiha managed to unseal the Kyuubi from Kushina-sama and let it rampage through our village, a week after our encounter that the boy who sat, golden head still suspended between his orange clad knees. I took a few steps away from him when he didn't say anything, sliding my hands into my pockets.

"No."

My head lolled over my shoulder at the sudden unexpected determination in his voice. "Hmm?"

"You might not be able to help me, but that boy can, I know it. We will meet again one day, when I've brought back Gaara and Sasuke and the Leaf village has acknowledged me. Kakashi, you might think that I'm just being childish and that I should let it go but I won't. I need to know who they were; I need to know Kakashi-sensei."

An exasperated sigh escaped my lips as I glimpsed back in a lazy fashion at the young adult. He was staring up at me with that same resolve that Kushina-sama had in her eyes when she spoke of her son, and I even reconsidered just telling him to save the poor kid the trouble. I turned away as a small smile pulled at the corners of my lips. I straightened up and faced forward again, waving a gloved hand back at the uncharacteristically serious teen.

"Do what you want then. It's polite to return someone else's personal property, after all."

* * *

><p><strong>I would just like to take a moment to thank all my readers and specifically: <strong>

**Crimson Ribbon, MonkHerrick, Raptor200z, Strife666, azaneti, gaara king of the sand, , iridescent08, kawaihana, marale-chan, zoeh8, Kenzie605, Those-carrots, animatedgemini, 3, lioncousin**

**For following or adding this to your favourites list! I really appreciate the support and am so sorry for the long wait for updates. The recent Naruto manga kind of threw a wrench in my chances of a believable plot, but don't worry, I have found some new inspiration. Hopefully next chapter the action can begin! We'll see what I have planned for Emiko :) **


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